Mike Vrabel didn’t try to dress it up after the Patriots’ 35-6 loss to the Jaguars. There was no soft landing, no silver lining tour. Just a blunt reaction to a lopsided afternoon that left New England looking far from settled.
The defeat marked the Patriots’ biggest loss under Vrabel since a 40-7 setback to the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 28, 2024, according to research from StatMuse. And after watching Jacksonville control the game, Vrabel made it clear he wasn’t interested in sugarcoating where things stand.
“My concern level is very high for this football team,” Vrabel said, according to the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed. “I just want to coach and improve.
I think that’s the biggest thing when you come off a game like that. You just want to get back and work.”
That was the message: reset, regroup, and move on. The loss may have been ugly, but Vrabel’s focus was on what comes next rather than lingering on what just happened.
Jacksonville had the cleaner day on both sides of the ball. Trevor Lawrence threw for 182 yards and three touchdowns, and the Jaguars finished with 313 total yards.
New England, meanwhile, never found enough rhythm to keep pace. Drake Maye went 14-of-25 for 199 yards and also committed two interceptions and a lost fumble.
The Patriots now turn to a matchup with the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Oct. 3. Buffalo is still undefeated, which only makes the task harder for New England as it tries to answer after a bruising loss.
In Other News...
Trevor Lawrence Gave Jaguars Fans One Strange Moment To Debate
Trevor Lawrences strong Sunday helped the Jaguars put the Patriots away in a 35-6 rout, with the quarterback finishing 19 of 29 for 182 yards and three touchdowns. Jacksonville had control for most of the afternoon, and New England never found much rhythm as Drake Mayes turnovers piled up in a difficult start to the season.
Still, the most debated moment may have come late, when Lawrence dropped to a knee at the 1-yard line and left plenty of fans trying to figure out the logic behind it. The Jaguars were long past needing style points, but the decision created a strange little postgame discussion anyway, one that stood out almost as much as the score itself. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Hines-Allen Sideline Scuffle Took A Strange Jaguars Turn
Travis Hunters first career interception was supposed to be the headline from Sunday, but the scene around it quickly turned into something else. On the sideline, Josh Hines-Allen got caught in a brief scuffle over the football, with the moment featuring a tug-of-war and a shove as the plays souvenir became the center of attention.
Liam Coen said the situation appears to be resolved, but the oddest part still hangs out there: even the person on the other end of the exchange has not been clearly identified by either team. An unconfirmed report from TMZ Sports suggested the individual may have been with the Patriots rather than the Jaguars, which only adds another layer to a strange post-interception sequence that left more questions than answers. [Read more 🡒]
Cam Little Just Reminded Jaguars Fans What Might Be Coming
Cam Little gave Jaguars fans a quick reminder of just how far his range can stretch when he sent up a 70-yard field goal try against the New England Patriots. It came up just short, but the attempt itself was eye-catching in its own right, especially coming from the kicker who already owns the NFL record for the longest field goal at 68 yards.
The miss did not change the bigger picture around Little, who has already shown he belongs in rare territory for leg strength. With a new NFL rule about kicking footballs also in the mix, the possibility of even longer field goals is suddenly part of the conversation, and Jacksonville has a front-row seat to whatever comes next. [Read more 🡒]