The New England Patriots swallowed the bitter pill of defeat for a sixth straight time on Sunday. They cruised to a 10-0 lead in the beginning of the game, and then it all came tumbling down in an ugly 32-16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.
New England has long been praised for their great defensive play, even while the offense ranked amongst the worst in the NFL for the previous two seasons.
This year, however, the offense has shown sparks of life, but the defense has completely flat-lined. The biggest struggle has been slowing down the rushing attack, and that continued in Week 7 with the Jaguars racking up 171 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence did manage to hit a few deep passes downfield, but the entire game ultimately came down to the Patriots’ defensive front being bullied by the Jaguars’ offensive line.
Not having Christian Barmore and Ja’Whaun Bentley in the mix has really hurt the Patriots this season.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Patriots continued to show strides with rookie quarterback Drake Maye under center. He went 26-of-37 for 276 passing yards and two touchdowns.
The Patriots failed to get the running game going, and rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk had multiple drops in the game. It was a situation where it felt like the offense let Maye down for a second straight week. Granted, there were a few throws the 22-year-old quarterback likely wishes he had back, but overall, it was another strong showing.
The degree of difficulty will go up significantly next week when the Patriots host legendary quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium.
Given how poorly the Patriots performed in London, it’s hard to feel optimistic about their chances.
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