After a Marcus Jones interception early in the second quarter gave the New England Patriots a new series of downs at the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 21-yard line, trailing 7–0, the Patriots’ offense fell apart before they could execute a complete play. On the first down, right tackle Morgan Moses was assessed a holding penalty that negated a Drake Maye touchdown. An offensive pass interference call by Romeo Doubs then quickly followed that mishap, pushing New England into a 1st-and-30 possession and forcing the offense to settle for a field goal. That sequence was an early glimpse of the sloppy, undisciplined Sunday afternoon football that plagued the Patriots in 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 game. “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 matchup. While Jacksonville wasn’t far behind with seven of its own, the Patriots repeatedly made mistakes that prevented them from capitalizing on the Jaguars’ deficiencies. Trailing just before halftime, but with a larger disparity of 14-3, Maye and his unit had a chance to at least narrow the game to a score with a third-and-goal snap two yards from the end zone. However, instead of settling for another three points, the quarterback forced a throw to a smothered Efton Chism III in the back of the paint, allowing Jacksonville cornerback Travis Hunter to intercept the pass. Maye was responsible for all three of New England’s turnovers stemming from poor decision-making when backing up to pass and a jarring fumble that slipped out of his hand on a pass attempt. Still, Vrabel believes that resolving those mistakes starts on its own. “We haven’t made good decisions with football,” Vrabel added. “We have to fix it. We have to practice. We have to work and correct it. And everyone else has to do much better, and it all starts with me. That’s how it goes… I need guys to do things the way we need them to. “There will be mistakes, but there are too many things that make us win: turnovers and not taking advantage of opportunities. [Jacksonville’s] turnover opportunities.” After Maye’s final interception in the third frame, the team’s body language changed noticeably, with the defense losing its physicality as the game progressed and the offense continually failing to score. That body language was evident at all three levels. After the Jaguars extended their lead to 28-3, Kyle Williams, rather than letting the ball go out of bounds on the kickoff to accept a penalty, caught the kick, pinning the Patriots in his own nine. “I think it’s one day at a time,” Vrabel said. “It’s about what we can do to get healthy and get better 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 put guys in the right spots.” New England, which has fallen to 1-2 on the season, will travel to Buffalo next week to face the undefeated Bills in a crucial divisional game.
