The Jacksonville Jaguars have an opportunity to show the rest of the NFL what they are made of when they square off against the New England Patriots in a Week 3 heavyweight showdown between a pair of AFC contenders.

The Jaguars are hoping to bounce back after a difficult loss to the Denver Broncos, which snapped their nine-game regular-season winning streak.

This week's assignment certainly doesn't get any easier with the defending AFC champions coming to town.

Jacksonville is trying to go from being a good team to being a great one. Responding to a tough loss with a win over a terrific opponent the following week would be a big step toward achieving just that.

The Jaguars' loss to the Broncos was the result of several issues the team had done so well in avoiding during its winning streak.

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw a back-breaking interception at a crucial time with the Jaguars up 13-6 late in the third quarter. The pick changed the game as Denver dominated from that point on. Jacksonville's defense couldn't get a stop when it needed one most, and the offense was unable to respond to Denver's scores with points of its own.

The Jaguars also blew a double-digit lead in the second half. The winning streak saw Jacksonville not only hold leads but build on them. Last week, the Jaguars took their foot off the gas and were desperately just trying to hold on.

Fortunately for the Jaguars, they had a strong week of practice, which was not the case heading into Denver. Head coach Liam Coen spoke earlier in the week about seeing a sense of urgency from his team, especially on offense.

Star edge rusher Travon Walker also spoke about the defensive line using practice to correct the small details after registering zero sacks of Broncos QB Bo Nix last week.

One of the most puzzling aspects of the Denver loss was the lack of usage of star WR/CB Travis Hunter. Hunter saw only seven offensive snaps against the Broncos and played only about 60% of the team's defensive snaps.

Hunter's lack of playing time has been a hot-button issue all week. If Jacksonville is to beat New England, the team will need him on the field as much as possible.

The Jaguars appear to be treating the loss against the Broncos as a wake-up call. They are trying to squeeze anything positive from the defeat that they can. 

It was also a reminder that they are not invincible and need to bring their A-game every week.

Jacksonville is catching New England at a good time. The Patriots haven't looked like the Super Bowl team they were a year ago so far this season. They lost a tough opener 13-10 in a Super Bowl rematch with the Seattle Seahawks, who lost starting QB Sam Darnold to injury almost immediately and then looked a bit shaky, at least offensively, in last week's 20-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Drake Maye has already thrown four interceptions in the Patriots' first two games. Turnovers are the Jacksonville defense's specialty. If the Jaguars can create a couple of takeaways against the Patriots, which I expect, they have a great shot at knocking off the defending conference champs.

I believe the defense will have a strong showing and the offense gets back on track, doing just enough to pull out a win.

Prediction: Jaguars 24, Patriots 17