The Patriots are heading into Week 3 with the kind of margin for error they can’t afford to waste. They’ve split their first two games, and both losses and wins could have swung the other way if not for their own mistakes. Now they’re on the road against a Jaguars team in a similar spot, with both clubs trying to steady themselves before the season starts slipping.
Jacksonville entered 2026 with some buzz after making the playoffs a year ago, and its Week 1 showing only fed that. But last week brought a harsh reset in the form of a brutal loss to the Broncos. So Sunday gives both teams a chance to answer the same question: what are they really this season?
One thing that could help keep the focus on the football is the officiating crew. That matters for the Patriots, who have already dealt with back-to-back games full of flags. This week, though, Alex Kemp and his crew are expected to take a lighter touch.
In Week 1, the Patriots were flagged seven times for 50 yards in their Super Bowl rematch, while the Seahawks drew 10 penalties for 98 yards. Last week against the Steelers, New England had six penalties for 31 yards, and Pittsburgh was hit with five flags for 59 yards.
Kemp’s crew has only worked one game so far this season, the 49ers-Rams matchup in Australia, and it was a quiet one by NFL standards: eight flags, six accepted, the fewest of any game this season.
That lines up with what Kemp’s group did in 2025, when it averaged 14 flags per game, the 8th-fewest in the league. If Sunday follows that pattern, the Patriots and Jaguars should get a cleaner game with fewer stoppages. The ideal, of course, is that the crew gets the calls right without turning the afternoon into a penalty parade - or creating a different kind of problem by letting something obvious go uncalled.
In Other News...
Patriots Fans Just Got A Telling Caleb Lomu Update
The Patriots used a lopsided game against the Jacksonville Jaguars to get Caleb Lomu some extra work at right tackle, with head coach Mike Vrabel turning to the first-round pick after replacing Morgan Moses in the lineup. It was the kind of late-game decision that fit the moment, giving Lomu more live reps while the offense was already fighting from behind.
Vrabel made clear the move was about experience, not a depth-chart shakeup, saying Mosess starting job was not in danger. Still, it comes against a tricky backdrop for New Englands offensive line, which has already absorbed its share of hits with Mike Onwenu going on injured reserve and Greg Van Roten leaving the game with a thigh injury. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Fans Will Recognize Vrabels Mood After This Collapse
The loss to Jacksonville had the kind of sloppiness that tends to linger with a coaching staff, and Mike Vrabel did not sound like a man looking for comfort after it. Turnovers and penalties helped sink the Patriots in a game that got away from them, and the bigger concern was the way the problems piled up while the team seemed unable to steady itself.
Vrabels response after the collapse carried the edge Patriots fans have heard before when things start slipping. He made it clear he is worried about where the group stands right now and said the focus has to be on improving what the team is putting on the field, which puts the spotlight on leadership as much as execution entering the next stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Pass Rush Problem Just Got A Lot More Urgent
The Patriots pass rush was already a concern, and the picture has only gotten thinner as training camp has worn on. New England did not bring back KLavon Chaisson, and injuries have sidelined Harold Landry and DreMont Jones, leaving the defensive front with fewer proven ways to affect opposing quarterbacks.
Matthew Judon is now expected to land with the 49ers and reunite with defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, which takes another familiar name off the board for a Patriots defense that could have used the help. Judons recent production has not matched what he delivered in New England, but the bigger issue for the Patriots is simpler than that: they still need more answers up front, and they need them soon. [Read more 🡒]