The Jaguars have a real chance to climb past the Patriots in the AFC picture in 2026, and the matchup in Week 3 at EverBank Stadium could be one of the first places that shows up.
Jacksonville and New England both came from the bottom to the top last season, but the Patriots finished the job by grabbing the No. 2 seed and representing the AFC in the Super Bowl. That puts a little extra weight on this meeting, even if it comes early. If the Jaguars want to be taken seriously in the conference, beating the defending AFC champs is part of the assignment.
A big reason Jacksonville can feel good about that matchup starts under center. Trevor Lawrence and Drake Maye already have one head-to-head on the books, and it was Lawrence and the Jaguars who won 32-16 in London in Week 7 of 2024.
Maye was 26-of-37 for 276 yards and two touchdowns in that game, while Lawrence went 15-of-20 for 193 yards and a touchdown. Both quarterbacks are in much better situations now, with new head coaches, new play-callers and better support around them.
That matters because the coaching setup has changed dramatically for both teams. Jerod Mayo and Doug Pederson were in charge the last time these quarterbacks met, and Mike Vrabel and Liam Coen have clearly shifted the trajectory.
Both Lawrence and Maye picked up MVP votes last year, so the talent is obvious. But Maye’s playoff run also showed there are still some growing pains in his game.
Lawrence, on the other hand, is heading into year six and has 47 more career starts behind him. He looks more settled now, less like the young gunslinger and more like a quarterback who can use experience as a weapon. This matchup still features two gifted passers, but Lawrence may be the one who can lean on veteran polish.
The coaching edge is another place Jacksonville can make a case. Vrabel earned plenty of praise for leading the Patriots to their success last year, and rightly so. But Coen’s first season as a head coach may have been even more impressive, considering he was managing a major offensive overhaul and a franchise quarterback while doing it against tougher competition.
Vrabel did go farther in the playoffs, and that is the one area where he clearly has the upper hand. Still, Coen looks like the kind of play-caller who can create problems for Vrabel’s defense.
That could end up being the deciding factor. Vrabel is a strong coach, but what Coen showed in 2025 suggests he may already be great.
Then there’s the talent on the outside. New England made a major move this summer by trading for A.J.
Brown, and that changes everything about its passing game. Brown is one of the premier pass-catchers of his generation, and he gives the Patriots a true game-breaker.
For Jacksonville, that means the cornerbacks have a serious assignment.
That is where Travis Hunter comes in. He is expected to take on a bigger role at cornerback this season after spending most of his rookie year at receiver, and his ceiling there is obvious after what he did in college and in his early flashes as a pro. Week 3 will still be early in the Hunter experiment, but he should be Jacksonville’s best option to slow Brown.
Hunter also gives the Jaguars something extra on offense. Even with plenty of other pieces in place, he remains the kind of player who can flip a game with one catch. He did that against the Chiefs and the 49ers early last season before the injury that ended his year.
The Patriots did not stop with Brown. They also added Romeo Doubs, and their backfield with Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson gives them a more recognizable running back duo than Jacksonville’s Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez Jr. Even so, the Jaguars can still make a strong case for having the better overall group of weapons.
Brown is the Patriots’ clear top target, and Doubs is a solid addition. But Pop Douglas, Kyle Williams and Kayshon Boutte do not match the depth Jacksonville can roll out with its core receivers. Add Brenton Strange at tight end and a running back room that is closer to New England’s than it may get credit for, and the Jaguars still look deeper and more complete.
The Patriots may have the best single weapon in Brown, but Jacksonville can point to a broader collection of playmakers. There is even an argument that four different Jaguars receivers would rank as the Patriots’ second-best option behind Brown.
Up front, New England also has questions. The Patriots’ offensive line was exposed against the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl, something Jacksonville can understand after its own loss to Seattle earlier in the season. New England did add Caleb Lomu in the first round of the draft, but Will Campbell looks questionable right now.
That opens the door for Jacksonville’s defensive front. With all of the Jaguars’ defensive line starters healthy and trending up, this looks like a matchup they can win in both the pass and run game. If Maye is going to beat the Jaguars, he may have to do it while moving around.
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Jaguars QB2 Battle Puts Trevor Lawrence's Backup Plan In Focus
With training camp approaching, the Jaguars quarterback room is already taking shape around Trevor Lawrence, and the real question is how Jacksonville sorts out the depth behind him. The roster currently includes Nick Mullens along with Carter Bradley and Joey Aguilar, giving the team a mix of experience and developmental arms as it sorts through the backup plan.
Mullens looks like the likeliest answer to the No. 2 job because of what he has done in the league, even if his minicamp showing did not stand out. Jacksonville carried two quarterbacks on the active roster and another on the practice squad a year ago, so the team has a recent blueprint to follow, but the final trim still leaves room for one of the younger passers to make the conversation more interesting. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Fans Have Every Reason To Watch Travis Hunter Closely At Camp
Travis Hunter is heading into Jaguars camp with plenty of attention already attached, and not just because of the buzz that followed him into the league. Jacksonville is planning to be careful with his workload as he comes back from a right lateral collateral ligament injury and surgery, a sensible approach for a player the team wants to ease back into practice rather than throw straight into a full camp workload. Hunter also had limited two-way work in last years camp before being shut down after only a few practices, which only adds to the anticipation around how the Jaguars will handle him this time.
For Jacksonville fans, the bigger backdrop is how hard it has been for first-round picks to stick around for the long haul. Research on NFL first-rounders from 2000-16 shows just one Jaguars pick lasted at least 10 years with the team, with Marcedes Lewis the lone exception. That history is part of why Hunters camp reps matter so much now, because the Jaguars are trying to get the most out of a talent they clearly value while also protecting him for what they hope is a much longer run in Jacksonville. [Read more 🡒]
Trevor Lawrence Delivered A Strong Jaguars Offseason Moment In Tahoe
Trevor Lawrences offseason detour to Tahoe gave Jaguars fans a little something to smile about, even if it came in a celebrity golf setting rather than on a football field. In the second round of the American Century Championship, Lawrence steadied himself after a rough start and turned in a net zero score, a respectable showing in a 90-player field that also included Titans coach Robert Saleh.
The bigger subplot for Jacksonville was how Lawrence stacked up against familiar company. He finished ahead of Baker Mayfield for the second straight day, while Larry Fitzgerald was the best performer in their group and landed well in front of both quarterbacks. For a player still shaping the Jaguars next chapter, even an offseason event like this can carry a little extra meaning when the competition includes names fans know so well. [Read more 🡒]