After a Marcus Jones interception early in the second quarter gave the New England Patriots another series of downs at the 7-0 Jacksonville Jaguars’ 21-yard line, the Patriots’ offense collapsed before it could run a complete play.
On first down, right tackle Morgan Moses was called for a holding penalty that erased a Drake Maye touchdown. Then, an offensive pass interference call from Romeo Doubs quickly followed that incident, pushing New England back to a 1st-and-30 possession and forcing the offense to settle for a field goal.
That footage was a first look at the sloppy, undisciplined Sunday afternoon football that plagued the Patriots during their dismal 35-6 road loss to the Jaguars.
“My level of concern is very high for this football team,” head coach Mike Vrabel said after the contest. “When you come out of a game like that, you just want to get back to work… We have to fix a lot of things.”
New England committed nine penalties throughout the game. While Jacksonville wasn’t far behind with seven players, the Patriots repeatedly made mistakes that prevented them from capitalizing on the Jaguars’ deficiencies.
Trailing just before halftime, but with a greater disparity at 14-3, Maye and his unit had an opportunity to at least cut the game to one score with a third-and-goal from two yards from the end zone. However, instead of settling for three more points, the quarterback forced a throw to a muffled Efton Chism III in the back of the painted zone, allowing Jacksonville cornerback Travis Hunter to intercept the pass.
Maye was responsible for all three of New England’s turnovers resulting from poor decision-making on a dropback pass and a jarring fumble that slipped out of his hands on a pass attempt.
Vrabel, however, believes that resolving these errors starts with himself.
“We didn’t make good decisions with football,” Vrabel added. “We’ve got to fix it. We’ve got to practice. We’ve got to work and fix it. And everyone’s got to do a lot better, and it starts with me. That’s the way it goes…I need to have guys out there to do things the way we want them done.
“There are going to be mistakes, but there are too many things that make us beat: turnovers and not taking advantage of (Jacksonville’s) turnover opportunities.”
After Maye’s final interception in the third quarter, the team’s body language changed noticeably, with the defense losing its physicality as the game progressed and the offense continually failing to score.
This body language was evident on all three levels. After the Jaguars extended their lead to 28-3, Kyle Williams, instead of letting the ball go out of bounds on the ensuing kickoff to accept a penalty, caught the kick, pinning the Patriots at their own nine.
“I think it’s one day at a time,” Vrabel said. “It’s about what we can do to get healthy and improve individually and as a football team. That’s all we can do. It’s going to start with me and my ability to teach and get guys in the right spots.”
New England, which fell to 1-2 this season, travels to Buffalo next week to face the undefeated Bills in a crucial division game.
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