The Jacksonville Jaguars have another difficult matchup on Sunday. Will they be able to rebound from last week’s tough loss at Denver?
The Jacksonville Jaguars are set for another showdown against an AFC powerhouse in Week 3 when they host the defending AFC champion New England Patriots at EverBank Stadium.
Speaking of EverBank Stadium, the Jaguars won't play another game in their own building until November 1. After this week's tilt against the Patriots, the Jaguars go on the road to take on the Cincinnati Bengals next week and then have back-to-back "home" games against the Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Texans in London, England, before their Week 7 bye.
Jacksonville enters its clash against New England coming off a frustrating road loss against the Denver Broncos. The Jaguars blew a 13-3 second-half lead and fell 20-13, ending the team's nine-game regular-season losing streak.
The Jaguars are in the midst of a brutal stretch of opponents, and a win over New England would be a bold statement to the rest of the NFL.
Beating the Patriots won't be easy, but there are five keys to the game that can swing the result in Jacksonville's favor.
The matchup against New England could have serious implications come playoff time in January.
Jacksonville has a chance to show everyone what they are made of. How will the Jaguars respond to their first regular-season loss in over 10 months?
Heavyweight Battle
The Jaguars-Patriots clash is a heavyweight battle between two of the AFC’s top teams.
Both clubs sit at 1-1 and will be looking to end September on a high note.
Will Jacksonville’s zone defense cause Patriots’ quarterback Drake Maye to struggle? Maye has thrown three of his four interceptions this season against zone, which is Jaguars’ defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile’s bread and butter.
Of course, Jacksonville's defense will be more of a problem for Maye and his receivers the more star cornerback Travis Hunter is on the field.
Hunter played only about 60% of the defensive snaps in last week’s loss. For the Jaguars’ sake, Hunter (and his ball-hawking ability) must be on the field as much as possible against a QB who has had issues throwing the ball to the other team so far this season.
Will Trevor Lawrence Rebound?
Lawrence had done a terrific job of avoiding interceptions during his team’s winning streak, but his pick against Denver was the game’s turning point.
How he responds against the Patriots will go a long way in determining who wins this week.
Will Lawrence be able to spread the ball around to all of his weapons against New England? Or will he be too dependent on WR Parker Washington?
Who the Patriots decide to match star cornerback Christian Gonzalez against on Sunday will be a huge factor.
Final Thoughts
The Jaguars must “move on and respond” following their loss to the Broncos. Head coach Liam Coen must have his team ready to go and not still thinking about last week’s disappointment.
If Jacksonville can beat New England after a hard loss, it will be a tremendous step in the Jaguars going from a good team to a great one.
