The Patriots and Jaguars are about to meet for the 16th time, and even with only 15 games on the books, this series has already produced a few that stuck. New England heads to Jacksonville in Week 3, where the Patriots have taken three of their four losses in the matchup and where the teams have split six meetings overall, 3-3.
That road trip comes with a lopsided regular-season record behind it. In the regular season, the Patriots are 8-2 against Jacksonville, while the Jaguars’ only playoff win in the series came in the 1998 wild card round, a 25-10 result.
New England, meanwhile, has handled the Jaguars four times in the postseason, including both AFC Championship Games between the teams. The Patriots won the first one in 1996, 20-6, and they won again in 2017, 24-20.
They also beat Jacksonville in a 2005 wild card game, 28-3, and in a 2007 divisional game, 31-20.
The first time these teams lined up, the Patriots hosted the Jaguars at Foxboro Stadium in Week 4 of the 1996 season. Bill Parcells’ team built a 22-0 lead in the first half behind three Adam Vinatieri field goals and touchdowns from Ben Coates and Curtis Martin.
Jacksonville then answered with a Hail Mary just before halftime, and the game changed from there. The Jaguars wiped out the deficit and came close to stealing it, but a Drew Bledsoe pick-six off a bobbled pass was wiped away by a penalty, and another Jacksonville Hail Mary was caught at the 1-yard line as time ran out.
In overtime, Bledsoe moved New England into position and the rookie Vinatieri drilled a 40-yard winner for a 28-25 Patriots victory.
The most memorable meeting came in the 2017 AFC Championship Game, when New England was coming off a 35-point performance in the divisional round but ran into one of the league’s toughest defenses. Brady had hurt his hand in practice before the game, and Rob Gronkowski left in the first half with a concussion, which only made Jacksonville’s early success more striking.
The Jaguars led 20-10, but they still couldn’t finish the job. Brady and Danny Amendola took over in the fourth quarter, combining for two touchdowns, and Jacksonville’s final push ended when Stephon Gilmore came up with an acrobatic pass breakup on 4th-and-14.
In Other News...
Patriots Added A Little-Known Receiver Fans Will Want To Root For
The Patriots quietly added a player to their practice squad who brings a little more than just another receiver body to the room. Brayboy, 25, comes to New England after growing up tied closely to his Lumbee Tribe roots in North Carolina, a connection that has been central to his identity well before football ever offered him a professional path.
His road also gives the move some extra intrigue for Patriots fans looking for someone new to pull for. At Elon University, Brayboy balanced football with a demanding academic load in exercise science and nursing, a mix that speaks to the kind of work ethic teams always say they value. Now he gets a chance to settle in with New England and see whether the practice squad can become a longer look. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Enter Week 3 With Familiar Faces And One Growing Concern
When the Patriots head into Week 3, there is a little extra familiarity on both sides of the matchup. New England and Jacksonville have each become a landing spot, at different times, for several players who have already worn both uniforms in their NFL careers, giving this game a touch more personal history than the average early-season meeting. The article traces the paths of Jakobi Meyers and Jahlani Tavai with the Jaguars, along with Chandler Brayboy and Greg Van Roten on the Patriots side, and how their previous stops have shaped where they are now.
For the Patriots, the broader significance goes beyond a few shared names and old roster transactions. These overlapping careers underscore how often teams are forced to circle back to familiar talent, whether through depth moves, practice squad shuffling or longer stints that didnt quite stick the first time around. With Week 3 approaching, the real question is how much of that shared history actually matters once the game starts, especially with both sides still sorting through the latest roster decisions. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Suddenly Have A Week 3 Problem They Cant Ignore
Wednesdays practice brought an early reminder that the Patriots are still managing their way through September attrition. Craig Woodson and DreMont Jones both sat out with shoulder injuries as New England began its workweek for a Week 3 matchup with the Jaguars, while the team also shuffled its defensive depth by promoting edge rusher Jose Ramirez from the practice squad to the active roster and bringing linebacker Benton Whitley onto the practice squad.
There was some relief elsewhere on the report, with several players limited and Carlton Davis and Brenden Schooler back on the field. Even so, the absences of Woodson and Jones put a little more pressure on a defense that is already having to stay flexible, and the Patriots will be watching closely as the week moves forward to see whether either player can get back into the mix in time. [Read more 🡒]