The Patriots are back on the road this weekend, travelling to Florida to take on the 1-1 Jacksonville Jaguars. After winning their opener in dominating fashion over the Browns, the Jags lost a lead in Denver last weekend, falling to Bo Nix and the Broncos.
Now, they’ll look to get back on track against the team that beat those Broncos in Denver last year in the AFC Championship.
Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence is off to a hot start with four touchdowns to just one interception, ranking ninth in the NFL in EPA-per-play. Parker Washington is his favorite receiver and leads the team with 12 catches on 18 targets for 181 yards, while complementary receivers Brian Thomas Jr. and former Patriot Jakobi Meyers round out a dangerous passing offense that ranks fifth in DVOA after two games. Thomas brings an explosive element to the attack while Meyers’ established reliability and clutch play helps keep the chains moving.
Defensively, bookend edge players Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker are two good pass rushers with the ability to blow up a game plan. It’s a defense that feeds off turnovers, and they’ve already recorded three takeaways in the first two games.
But they were gashed by the Broncos last week for 392 yards, while the Denver defense applied plenty of pressure on Lawrence (45.2% pressure rate, per Next Gen), holding him without a touchdown.