New England Patriots vs. Jacksonville Jaguars Pick & Prediction OCTOBER 20th 2024
Preview and Prediction
The Jacksonville Jaguars are in dire need of a win, while the New England Patriots are seeking to break their losing streak and continue the growth of their rookie quarterback.
Both teams will strive towards these goals in their upcoming game on Sunday at Wembley Stadium in London, England.
The Patriots, who are in a rebuilding phase, have lost five consecutive games since their Week 1 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Meanwhile, the Jaguars, who are playing their second game in London, failed to secure back-to-back wins after their 35-16 loss to the Chicago Bears last week.
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Rookie quarterback Drake Maye is expected to make his second career start for the Patriots, having been given the opportunity in last week's 41-21 loss to the Houston Texans. Maye, who was selected as the No. 3 overall pick from North Carolina, had a decent performance with 20 completions out of 33 attempts, 243 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions, and an 88.3 passer rating.
Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas expressed excitement about Maye's potential, saying, "We saw a glimpse of what we can do. When we put it all together, I feel like we can be a formidable team."
Maye's performance injected some life into the Patriots' struggling offense, which currently ranks 31st in yards per play (4.3) and yards per pass attempt (5.5). The 21 points scored against the Texans were the highest for the Patriots this season.
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo acknowledged the need for a better start to their games and sees this week's matchup as an opportunity to do just that. The Patriots have yet to score on their opening drive this season and have failed to pick up a first down in four out of six opening drives.
Mayo also hinted at potential changes to the starting lineup for this week's game, citing a lack of focus as the common denominator for their struggles.
On the other side, the Jaguars are approaching this game as a must-win. After securing their first victory against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5, the Jaguars delivered a disappointing performance against another rookie quarterback in their loss to the Bears last week. Facing another promising rookie in Maye, Jaguars coach Doug Pederson is hoping for a better showing from his defense.
Pederson praised Maye's abilities, saying, "He's going to take what he did last week and improve upon it...He's got a big arm, he's a smart kid, he's athletic, he's tough."
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The Jaguars struggled to maintain any offensive rhythm in their last game, only managing to score 18 or 19 points. They also have one of the most generous defenses in the league, allowing 6.0 yards per play (30th in NFL) and the second-most points (178).
The Jaguars may also be without their starting tailback, Travis Etienne, who is considered week-to-week with a hamstring injury. In his absence, the Jaguars will rely on Tank Bigsby as their primary running back and D'Ernest Johnson on passing downs. Bigsby had a lackluster performance against the Bears but had a strong showing in Week 5 against the Colts with 101 yards and two touchdowns.
For the Patriots, their No. 1 running back Rhamondre Stevenson did not practice on Wednesday due to a foot injury. Offensive tackle Vederian Lowe (ankle) and cornerback Marcus Jones (groin/illness) also did not practice, while Maye (knee) was a full participant.
The Jaguars also had some limited participants in practice, including Etienne, defensive end Arik Armstead (shoulder), wide receiver Gabe Davis (knee), tight end Evan Engram (hamstring), offensive tackle Anton Harrison (knee), and cornerback Tyson Campbell (hamstring).
New England Patriots vs. Jacksonville Jaguars Recap OCT 20TH 2024
Tank Bigsby rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 32-16 victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday in London.
Trevor Lawrence threw for 193 yards and a touchdown for the Jaguars (2-5), who prevailed for the second time in their past three games after an 0-4 start.
The Patriots (1-6), in turn, lost their sixth game in a row after recording an opening week victory versus the Cincinnati Bengals.
Bigsby received the bulk of the workload for the Jaguars with fellow running back Travis Etienne Jr. out with a hamstring injury.
Bigsby eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark for the second time in three games and paced the Jaguars from the second quarter onward.
New England jumped out to a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter in what was rookie quarterback Drake Maye's second career start.
Maye completed 26 of 37 passes for 276 yards and threw a pair of touchdown passes, including a 16-yarder to JaMycal Hasty to open the scoring.
But the Jaguars responded in the second quarter and started a run of 25 unanswered points after Lawrence found rookie Brian Thomas Jr. in the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown.
Jacksonville's special teams helped solidify the Jaguars' edge going into halftime when Parker Washington returned a punt 96 yards for a touchdown to boost the lead to 22-10.
Washington appeared to make an ill-advised catch of the punt inside his own 5-yard line. But he then found a seam and outraced the Patriots' coverage team to the end zone.
New England had an opportunity to make its own comeback early in the fourth quarter when Maye completed three consecutive passes of 20 or more yards, capped by a 22-yard touchdown toss over the middle to K.J. Osborn. The Patriots, however, failed on a two-point try, which kept it a two-score game.
New England regained possession with 3:58 left, but its last drive ended with Maye being sacked by Travon Walker and an incomplete pass on fourth and 26 from his own 10.