JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- If the Jaguars are going to bounce back from last week’s loss, they’re going to have to earn it the hard way against the Patriots.
This is the kind of game Jacksonville has handled under head coach Liam Coen so far: ugly, physical, and decided by who wins the most stubborn battles. Week 3 brings Mike Vrabel’s Patriots to town, and the Jaguars have a few clear edges they can lean on if they want to come out with another gritty win.
One of the biggest starts up front, where New England’s offensive line has already shown some soft spots in 2026. Left tackle Will Campbell has held up well, allowing three pressures on 69 pass blocks and posting a 4.3% pressure rate that ranks second-lowest among all left tackles.
But the other side has been a different story. Right tackle Morgan Moses has given up nine pressures and 1.5 sacks on 69 pass blocks, a 13.0% pressure rate that sits eighth-highest among right tackles.
That should shape how Jacksonville attacks. Campbell is likely to draw plenty of Josh Hines-Allen, while Travon Walker and Dennis Gardeck figure to get their chances against Moses.
Walker and Gardeck have combined for 12 pressures this season, and the Jaguars need that pressure to show up again. Defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile also knows exactly what Moses brings after facing him for years in the AFC East.
“I've coached against him a few times in the past. I think he's a really good player.
They got a bunch of good guys in the front. [Patriots G Alijah] Vera-Tucker's another guy who was with the Jets too when I was in Miami.
I think they've got some physical guys and Moses definitely brings that to their offensive line. He's got a certain physicality that they benefit from.”
The Patriots’ offensive identity is pretty simple: run the ball, line up heavy, and try to wear people down. They use a fullback, lean on play-action, and spend plenty of time in under-center looks.
That style has been a mixed bag so far. New England has run from under center on 82.4% of its plays, fourth-highest in the league, but those designed runs have produced only 3.0 yards per carry, sixth-lowest in the NFL.
That’s where Jacksonville can feel good about the matchup. The Jaguars have allowed 104 rushing yards on designed under-center runs this season, ninth-fewest in the league. They have had more trouble when opponents operate from shotgun, but when teams try to hammer away at the line of scrimmage, Jacksonville has been able to make stops.
The quarterback matchup also carries real weight, because Trevor Lawrence and Drake Maye aren’t so different stylistically. Both are big-armed, mobile passers who can punish man coverage, even if that’s not always the cleanest area of their game. The Jaguars’ defensive approach could matter a lot here, because it is built to give Maye some problems.
Lawrence has seen man coverage on a career-low 19.6% of his dropbacks through two weeks. Against man, he has completed 7 of 10 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown, averaging 10.4 yards per attempt with several explosive plays. New England, meanwhile, plays man coverage at the highest rate in the NFL this season, but it has also allowed just 3.0 yards per attempt in man, the second-lowest mark in the league.
So that part of the game may come down to strength against strength.
The better opening for Jacksonville could be on the other side of the coverage spectrum. The Jaguars play zone on 76.7% of their snaps, and that could line up well against Maye.
He has thrown an NFL-leading three interceptions against zone coverage this season and carries a -0.09 EPA per dropback against it. Jacksonville has given up too many explosive plays in zone, but this feels like a spot where it can clean some of that up and make life harder on the Patriots’ quarterback.
In Other News...
Trevor Lawrence Hints At A Jaguars Passing Game Shift vs Patriots
Trevor Lawrence is already looking for ways to widen the Jaguars passing attack as Jacksonville heads into its Week 3 matchup with New England. One name at the center of that discussion is Jakobi Meyers, who has been targeted only three times through two games but has made the most of those looks, turning them into 68 yards and a touchdown while giving the offense a reliable target when called upon.
Lawrence praised Meyers route running and his grasp of the offense, a sign the Jaguars want to make him a more consistent part of the game plan. For a passing game still settling into rhythm early in the season, the focus isnt just on getting Meyers the ball more often, but on creating the kind of role that makes him harder for defenses to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Trevor Lawrence Just Got Extra Motivation For A Huge Jaguars Response
Trevor Lawrence is getting a little external validation at just the right time. Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, who spent years seeing the Jaguars quarterback up close in the AFC South, said Lawrence has looked more decisive, more careful with the ball and more willing to push it downfield while still using his legs to extend plays. For a Jacksonville offense trying to find steadier footing, praise like that from a defensive-minded coach carries some weight, especially when it comes with a reminder of how far Lawrence has come.
Lawrence, meanwhile, made it clear the Jaguars are approaching this week with a lot of film work behind them. He said the coaching staff has studied past games against the Titans to help the offense get ready for New England's defensive scheme, a detail that underscores how much Jacksonville is leaning on familiar AFC South lessons to solve a different problem. The question now is whether that preparation, paired with Lawrence's growth, turns into the kind of response the Jaguars have been looking for. [Read more 🡒]
C.J. Stroud Just Showed How Vital Dalton Schultz Is To Texans
Even with one of their top wide receivers sidelined, the Texans still had enough structure on offense to keep moving, and a big reason was Dalton Schultz. C.J. Stroud made it clear during the game that Schultzs value goes well beyond the box score, pointing to the tight ends steady contributions and leadership as Houston had to lean on other options for production.
For the Jaguars, that matters because it is another reminder of how much divisional games can hinge on the quiet, dependable players who keep an offense on schedule. Jacksonville already has plenty of its own talking points after Liam Coen pushed back on the defensive pass interference call against Travis Hunter, but Schultzs role in Houston is the kind of detail that can shape games long before the fourth quarter becomes the focus. [Read more 🡒]