FOXBOROUGH – The Patriots are 1-5 and have lost five games in a row.
That’s not good.
However, after watching Drake Maye start his first NFL game last weekend, there’s optimism in New England. Patriots receivers are excited about playing with Maye, who makes their pass offense look like an NFL-caliber unit. Even though this team is riding a difficult losing streak, players are hopeful for the future.
This is a great week for Maye and the Patriots to bounce back. They’ll take on the Jacksonville Jaguars aboard in London. The Jaguars are also 1-5 as their head coach, Doug Pederson, is on the hot seat already.
Both teams see this matchup as a chance to get back on the right track. The Patriots have had a difficult schedule, but this is a game Jerod Mayo’s team can win.
Here are five things to watch when the Patriots play in London:
Drake Maye and turnovers
This season was always about the Patriots developing their younger players. With Maye, the goal should be to keep the rookie quarterback improving. After sitting behind Jacoby Brissett for five weeks, Maye looked more than ready against the Houston Texans.
The rookie finished with 265 passing yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. In his second start, we want to see Maye improve. That means cutting down on turnover-worthy plays and playing a cleaner brand of football.
The Jaguars have the lowest interception rate (0.46%) in the NFL. This is a great chance for the rookie to have his first turnover-free game. At this point, the Patriots need to play near-perfect football to win. It starts with the turnover battle.
Drake Maye and passing game
It didn’t look like the Patriots had an NFL-caliber passing offense over the first five weeks of the season. That changed once Maye was under center. The Patriots offense, and notably the receivers, had much more life last weekend. That felt noteworthy considering the Texans came into the game with the third-best passing defense in the NFL.
Now, it’s time to see what Maye can do against one of the worth. The Jaguars enter this London trip last in the NFL in passing defense. Their secondary is allowing 276.7 passing yards per game. This week is ripe for Maye to have a good game and give Patriots fans even more reason to be hopeful for the future.
Patriots pass protection
Life has been hard for the Patriots offensive linemen. Some of the reasons are out of their control. The team lost its captain and starting center David Andrews due to a torn rotator cuff. Projected starting tackle Chuks Okorafor left the game. Top backup tackle Caedan Wallace suffered an ankle injury that forced him on the injured reserve.
Now, left tackle Vederian Lowe is dealing with an ankle injury. That’ll likely force the Patriots to make more sweeping changes to their line. Right guard Michael Onwenu could move to right tackle and rookie Layden Robinson will likely be back at right guard. Meanwhile, right tackle Demontrey Jacobs could move back to left tackle. There’s been no continuity with this group. That won’t change in London. We’ll see how it goes for Maye.
Patriots run game
The Patriots need to run the ball more efficiently. At this point, it looks like they’ll get Rhamondre Stevenson back in the lineup. The starting running back missed last week’s game and two practices this past week due to a foot injury. He was a full participant in Friday’s London practice.
Last week, without Stevenson, the Patriots relied on Antonio Gibson, JaMychal Hasty, and Terrell Jennings.
It didn’t go well. The Patriots averaged 3.2 yards per carry, ran for 82 total yards and Maye led the team with 38 rushing yards. The offense needs a more efficient run game inside Wembley Stadium. Unfortunately, it won’t get easier. Jacksonville has one of the best run defenses in the NFL. They’re tied for 11th in run defense, allowing 113.3 yards per game.
Patriots defense
Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence hasn’t lived up to the hype. The No. 1 overall pick has 1,334 passing yards for eight touchdowns and three interceptions this season. Jacksonville is ranked 24th in scoring (18.8), 20th in passing and 19th in rushing. Their offensive line has also struggled, allowing sacked on 8.5% of all passing attempts. That’s 20th in the NFL.
The Jaguars have some solid players – receivers Brian Thomas Jr., Christian Kirk, Gabe Davis, and tight end Evan Engram – but they’re not elite offensive weapons. This is a good week for the Patriots defense to step up and play better than they did against the Houston. There’s no reason to let this struggling Jaguars offense have their best game of the season.
Prediction: Patriots 23, Jaguars 20
