Quick Thoughts Before Jaguars' Week 3 vs. Patriots: Tough Test, Big Opportunity

Sep 24, 2026 at 01:09 PM

by John Oehser, Brian Sexton, Kainani Stevens & John Shipley

JACKSONVILLE – Senior writer John Oehser, senior correspondent Brian Sexton, team reporter Kainani Stevens and correspondent John Shipley offer quick thoughts on the Jaguars as they prepare to play the New England Patriots at EverBank Stadium Sunday

Oehser …

Tough test, big opportunity. As tough as the Jaguars' test in Denver was this past Sunday, Sunday's home matchup against the Patriots may be as tough or tougher. That's partly because the Patriots are the defending AFC East and AFC champions, but mostly because they're a tough, resilient team that is very good at winning gutty – even ugly – games at the end. That's largely how they won 16 of 17 games last season en route to the Super Bowl – and it's a franchise identity instilled and embraced by Head Coach Mike Vrabel. The Patriots under Vrabel don't always out-talent opponents, but they often out-discipline them by playing hard and together for the entire game. They make opponents make big plays and "out-tough" them for an entire game to win, and that's a hard task for a lot of teams to overcome. The Jaguars' identity is as a physical team willing to be grimy, gritty and gutty. If they can be grimy, gritty and gutty enough to beat a gritty Patriots team, it will be one of the more impressive – and important – victories in Head Coach Liam Coen's two seasons.
A simple plan. The thought here is that the keys for the Jaguars Sunday are fairly simple – specifically, that the offensive and defensive lines must be better than they were in a 20-13 loss to the Broncos this past Sunday. The Broncos' defense pressured Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence throughout, making him uncomfortable and making the offense increasingly less effective as the game continued. The Jaguars' defense didn't counter that, allowing Broncos quarterback Bo Nix too much time and allowing the Broncos' offense to become increasingly effective as the game continued. The Patriots' defensive front is physical and persistent, and will count on pressuring Lawrence into more discomfort. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has shown signs in recent weeks of being prone to young quarterback mistakes, but the Jaguars must apply pressure to make that happen. Most NFL games are about the lines. This one absolutely is.

Sexton…

Something must give on Sunday. The Patriots' defense is playing at a high level coming off a 20-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday. Over their last four regular-season games, they have allowed no more than 13 points and an average of nine points per game. It's no surprise Vrabel has that group performing that well. Meanwhile, the Jaguars are coming off a loss in which they scored just 13 points, their lowest point total since a 35-7 loss to the Rams in London last season. But they have averaged 28 points per game over their last four regular-season games and 40 in their last four regular-season home games. The' Jaguars offense had a bad day against a good defense in Denver. They're capable of a good day in Jacksonville as recent production shows, but it must come against another very good defense.
Who will be No. 3? Jaguars wide receiver Parker Washington is averaging 10 yards per target through two weeks and running back Bhayshul Tuten is getting 5.0 yards per rush. That makes them Option Nos. 1 and 2 for Head Coach Liam Coen. The question now: Who will be Option No. 3? Wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. is currently fifth among all Jaguars receivers with a 7.27 yards per target and two more dropped passes in Denver. How about wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, with 22.7 yards per target? Tight end Brenton Strange has been targeted five times this season, but his 8.0 yards per target is higher than Thomas', as is that of rookie receiver Josh Cameron, who has two targets for a 10.0 per target average. I'm using numbers and not emotion in suggesting that the Jaguars find ways to find targets other than Thomas, whose talent is significant, but who hasn't played like No. 1 or even No. 2.

Stevens…

These types of games may be the Jaguars' new normal. The Jaguars played below their standard in Denver, but they aren't far from where they want to be this season. They had a 13-3 lead in the third quarter, losing by just one score in a game in which they played poorly. Good teams often live in a world of weekly, tightly-contested matchups rather than blowout victories. This is the next step for this Jacksonville team, which has a tough schedule ahead and must learn how to win in different ways. "It's football," Lawrence said this week. "I'm confident that we're going to respond."
It may be time to reevaluate, but it's not the time to be reactionary. After a loss in the NFL, there are always questions. Now is not the time to overreact to a close loss to a good team. However, it may be time to reevaluate the division of targets on offense – perhaps a concerted effort to involve Strange and Meyers more going forward. This offense will operate best by spreading the ball around. Thomas Jr. could benefit from a more specialized role that allows him to play to his skillset. Strange has shown his ability to go up and fight for the ball while Meyers has been another reliable, experienced target for Lawrence. I hope to see more division of labor against New England as the offense tries to get back on track.

Shipley…

Slow Down Maye. While Maye's numbers have not been outstanding through the two games, he is still an MVP runner-up with traits to torment a defense. Between his big arm, mobility, and penchant for big plays, the Jaguars must limit his scrambling and explosive downfield passing to have a chance to slow the Patriots.
Lean on Tuten. It might be time for Tuten to get a larger role in the offense. He has led the running back room in snaps and touches after the past two weeks, but Tuten has been impressive enough through two games that he has earned consideration for an even bigger role. Tuten has taken the second-year leap the Jaguars needed, at least thus far.

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Jacksonville, Fla. — Jaguars quarterback Joey Aguilar (17) during practice at the Miller Electric Center on September 23, 2026.