Jaguars feast on dismal Patriots, Maye struggles again

The early slate’s most anticipated matchup was an AFC heavyweight battle in Jacksonville, as the Jaguars played host to the New England Patriots, who endured a rocky start to their conference championship defense, sitting at 1-1.

Jacksonville also entered 1-1, though they looked destined to begin the season with back-to-back wins, before squandering a 4th quarter lead in Denver last week. Both teams had every motivation to avoid falling below .500, although the Patriots of 2025 proved that a slow start to the season does not abolish a team’s chances to win the conference, overcoming a 1-2 start to do so.

After a lifeless, cagey start to the game for both teams, the atmosphere was enough to force Drake Maye into a fumble, which was taken away by the Jaguars’ defense, and turned into the game’s first touchdown shortly after, as Trevor Lawrence found rookie receiver Josh Cameron over the middle and into the end zone.

New England’s offense continued to struggle for inspiration, but cornerback Marcus Jones gave them their best chance to date to put up points, picking off Lawrence at Jacksonville’s 20-yard line. They managed to do that, but only 3 points, as Mack Hollins dropped a tough end zone ball to force Andy Borregales to come out for a field goal.

A similar red zone trip to their first one concluded positively for the Jaguars. Lawrence, who was given all day to throw by his offensive line, found a receiver right over the middle for a touchdown. This time it was Jakobi Meyers, who extended the home team’s lead to 11 points.

The turnover demons continued to haunt Maye. After a long drive made its way inside the Jaguars’ 10-yard line, another poor decision from New England’s young quarterback saw him throw it straight to cornerback Travis Hunter for his first career interception.

The nightmare offensive showing continued for the Patriots, with Borregales missing a field goal from just 38 yards out to emphasise what things have looked like on that side of the ball to date in 2026.

Jacksonville did exactly what they have thrived on over the past 12 months, making New England pay for a missed opportunity. Lawrence’s 3rd passing touchdown went to Parker Washington this time, putting the result beyond doubt.

Maye’s 3rd turnover ensued. He was picked off again following another ill-advised throw, with Jarrian Jones returning the takeaway into the red zone, which allowed Chris Rodriguez Jr. to reap the rewards from close range.

The Jaguars were keen to share the love, giving Bhayshul Tuten an opportunity to score as the lead blew out to a whopping 29 points on a dark afternoon for the Patriots, who look a shadow of the side that played in the Super Bowl last season.

The Jaguars’ best looks as good as anyone’s in the AFC. They’ve shown no mercy during their 2 wins to start the season, combining a defense that has a knack of taking the ball away with an offense that is very good at turning such takeaways into points of their own.

Touchdowns
New England: N/A
Jacksonville: Tuten, Cameron, Rodriguez Jr., Meyers, Washington

Top Performers
New England: Hollins, Spillane
Jacksonville: Lawrence, Tuten, Meyers, Orhorhoro

Injuries
New England: Van Roten (thigh)
Jacksonville: N/A

Crowd: TBC at EverBank Stadium