Pats @ Jags: Grounded Flights

New England’s defense came to play last weekend. It was against a chaotic offense in the Steelers, but dominance is dominance. From forced fumbles to and INT, the Patriots were there. Not a great offensive game from New England, but they did more than enough to win. I’m still waiting for Drake Maye to have the clear cut, “he’s back” performance. He finished last game with 208 yards on 14/22 passing for 1 INT. Like I said, not great, not terrible. I expect the Patriots to try and lead with defense against this high-flying Jaguars team who got grounded last week.

         I mentioned the stat last week about the Jaguars scoring 20+ points in 12 straight games. Well, I am the world’s best jinxer, because they ended up scoring 13 against the Broncos. Trevor Lawrence definitely has a weaker day, going for 189 yards, zero TDs, and 1 INT. The run game only accumulated 92 yards through 4 different runners. They did meet the Broncos on their best day of the season thus far, so it wasn’t a loss in which they took a step back. Just sideways. I expect the Jags to combat the Pats defense through quick offense. I think the Jaguars win, but the Patriots will keep it close.