Williams preaches personal accountability — particularly when it comes to stopping the run — but it was a team effort on Sunday. Just as the defense as a unit deserved congratulations for being the No. 1 scoring defense in the league after two weeks, the same group bears responsibility for the ugliness against the Jaguars.

It was an afternoon that brought back memories of the bad old days of 2023 and 2024, when the Patriots were boat-raced by New Orleans and Dallas, among others. There were no surprises. No out-of-the-ordinary offensive game plans. They did get one takeaway on a Marcus Jones second-quarter interception, but other than that, they were simply knocked back off the ball, play after play.

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“If you don’t get off the field on third down, it just creates more chances,” shrugged coach Mike Vrabel. “And we got tired, missed a ton of tackles, and they pushed the piles. And that’s what happens.”

The Patriots were missing edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones and safety Craig Woodson, but it’s hard to believe they would have mattered much. Simply put, the defense had no answer for Jacksonville. Trevor Lawrence had all the time he needed in the pocket. His stat line looked relatively pedestrian — 19-for-29 passing for 182 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception — but he went untouched for sizable portions of the afternoon as the Patriots struggled to get consistent pressure.

“They came in with their plan and they executed better than we did,’ said cornerback Christian Gonzalez. “[Lawrence] was able to move the ball around. They were able to run the ball and give the ball to his playmakers. So props to them; you know, that’s a good team.”

The Jaguars converted on 66.7 percent of their third-down attempts. Other than the one sack of Lawrence, Jacksonville had just two plays end with negative yardage. Running back Bhayshul Tuten led Jacksonville with 15 carries for 73 yards for a gaudy 4.9 yards per carry.

And while no one was pointing the finger at the offense, the Jaguars got multiple short fields — thanks in part to Drake Maye’s generosity (two interceptions and one lost fumble — and were 5 for 5 in red-zone scoring.

Jaguars cornerback Travis Hunter picked off a pass intended for Patriots wide receiver Efton Chism III (right) in the end zone.Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

“Inexcusable, regardless of how many turnovers that we had,” said safety Kevin Byard. “Can’t win the game like that.”

All that being said, it felt like it was still within reach at the half. The Patriots were down, 14-3, but were set to receive the second-half kickoff. A quick score and a stop would get them right back into it. At least, that’s how Williams felt.

But there was little to no response. Jacksonville attempted just one pass in the fourth quarter, but still outscored the Patriots, 7-3.

“Look, to be completely honest, I felt like we let them off the hook in the second half,” said Williams. “We let them off the hook, and we didn’t get to take advantage of the opportunities that we should have taken advantage of.”

Williams takes some small measure of satisfaction in knowing that critics were ready to bury the Patriots after a 2-2 start last year. That was the same team that had a prime-time game against the Bills looming in Week 5. It was a contest that turned their season around, and came to define their “we all we got, we all we need” ethos.

Drake Maye felt the pressure from the Jaguars’ defense.Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

In a weird bit of happenstance, a 1-2 New England team will be heading to Western New York next week, trying to right a reeling ship. Before gathering his things and heading out the door to the bus, Williams said he was banking on the same sort of response.

“It’s a week-to-week league, man. We’ve got to put our best foot forward every week. Today, I feel that we didn’t do that. But it’s Week 3. Week 3. We did it last year,” Williams said. “Now, we watch the tape, get better from it, flush it, and get ready for Buffalo.

“Again.”

Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at christopherprice.bsky.social.