The New England Patriots will look to build their first winning streak of the 2026 season. To do so, they will have to take down the Jaguars in Jacksonville.<\/p>\n
Naturally, most of our attention this week was on that particular game. However, there is a lot going on at One Patriot Place these days, so let\u2019s clean out the notebook.<\/p>\n
Welcome to the latest edition of our Sunday Patriots Notes.<\/p>\n
The Jacksonville Jaguars have turned EverBank Stadium into a difficult place to play under new head coach Liam Coen.<\/p>\n
Jacksonville is 8-2 at home since Coen took over, with the Jaguars frequently establishing control early in games to put opposing teams in difficult positions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey play well at home,\u201d head coach Mike Vrabel said. \u201cThey\u2019ve been getting great first half leads. I think they have been outscoring their opponents at home in that stadium by probably 10 points in the first half, so that\u2019s something that really sticks out.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Jaguars did just that in their home opener this season against the Cleveland Browns. With the defense forcing two turnovers, Jacksonville opened up a 24-0 first-half lead to a 34-10 victory.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey feast off turnovers. They\u2019ve been creating turnovers and turning those into points,\u201d Vrabel said. \u201cFrom what I could tell from Cleveland, I think that there were 42,000 [fans], but they were into it, and they were loud for what it was recorded as from an attendance standpoint. So, I think that those fans are football fans. They crave football. Just like us, if they give them reasons to cheer, they\u2019ll be loud.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the Patriots get set to kick off in Jacksonville this Sunday, avoiding a similar early deficit will be critical.<\/p>\n
New England appeared to be on its way to a fast start last week against the Steelers. Drake Maye found DeMario Douglas and Hunter Henry for completions on the opening drive, quickly moving the ball across midfield.<\/p>\n
But after Maye passed up an open Eli Raridon down the field and checked the ball down to Rhamondre Stevenson in the flat, Stevenson fumbled, ending the drive with a turnover.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like we had a good jump last week of starting fast and had a chance right there to make a big play. We ended up having a turnover on the first possession,\u201d Maye said. \u201cSo, I think one of the biggest things for us is starting fast, especially for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Starting fast in Jacksonville will require Maye to find completions early and take what the defense gives him while remaining aggressive when opportunities arise. Decisiveness has been a key point of emphasis when discussing the quarterback\u2019s struggles to open the season, and Maye knows the Patriots need to capitalize when there are opportunities to push the ball downfield.<\/p>\n
With warm conditions \u2014 Maye\u2019s preference \u2014 and a Jacksonville defensive front that has not been as dominant as the ones New England faced against Seattle and Pittsburgh, Sunday could provide an opportunity for Maye and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to get the offense moving in the right direction.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think how we play and our mentality and going down there and trying to get off to a good start is going to be the most important,\u201d McDaniels said. \u201cThen trying to play the game for 60 minutes and have no big letdowns in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Current forecasts in Jacksonville project the temperature to just be in the low to mid 80s at kickoff on Sunday with humidity levels around 40%. Josh McDaniels noted the team\u2019s experience in Miami early last season will be something they can rely on as they will also have to rely on their depth more this week. His quarterback, however, looks forward to playing in the warm conditions.<\/p>\n
And after Jacksonville opened up 1,000 standing room only tickets for the game, Mike Vrabel is expecting a noisy environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt sounded like they were into it against Cleveland, and they certainly got off to a good start and gave them something to cheer about,\u201d Vrabel said. \u201cWe\u2019ll have to always be prepared for the environment and make sure that all our cadences are sound and ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Patriots listed both safety Craig Woodson (shoulder) and tight end Eli Raridon (thigh) as questionable for Sunday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n
Woodson appears to be trending in a positive direction after practicing in a limited fashion on Friday, although the team did elevate safety Mike Brown from the practice squad. Brown will be a candidate to fill in for Dell Pettus (injured reserve) as the personal protector and depth behind\/in place of Woodson.<\/p>\n
As for Raridon, the rookie appears to be trending in the wrong direction after not practicing on Thursday and Friday. If Raridon is ultimately inactive, undrafted tight end Tanner Arkin will likely be back on the game day roster while Cameron Latu, who played 14 snaps in relief last Sunday, will assume the role behind Hunter Henry.<\/p>\n
Drake Maye hasn\u2019t played to his usual standard through two games. That\u2019s why he\u2019s seen pictures of chicken wing bones on the screen in the Patriots QB room.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s someone that wants to chase perfection, and I think that is good,\u201d QBs coach Ashton Grant said. \u201cAnd I like try to feed into that a little bit because there\u2019s always a little bit more meat on the bone. We joke around with, like chicken wings, and if you guys ever eat wings, and people throw them away, and there\u2019s a little bit of meat left.<\/p>\n
\u201cI try to show him pictures of bare bones of the meat just to be like, \u2018there\u2019s always more for us to do\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coaching the Tennessee Titans in the AFC South, Mike Vrabel often matched up against Trevor Lawrence. Ahead of Week 3, Vrabel noted the quarterback is more decisive and comfortable than he was early in his career and how opposing defenses can no longer count on Lawrence turning the football over.<\/p>\n
The Patriots will still look to force Lawrence into some mistakes on Sunday, and sticking with the blitz may be the best path. Lawrence currently ranks 27th out of 32 qualified quarterbacks in EPA vs. the blitz to go along with two turnover worthy throws.<\/p>\n
Lawrence operates in an offense loaded with skill talent around him. While the team drafted Brian Thomas Jr. in the first-round in 2024 and traded for old friend Jacob Meyers last season, wide receiver Parker Washington is the straw that stirs the drinks.<\/p>\n
On the year, Washington\u2019s 36.7% target share trails only Jaxon Smith-Njigba.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s crushing it right now. He\u2019s a great player,\u201d defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr said.<\/p>\n
In the backfield, second-year running back Bhaysul Tuten has taken the lead role in Liam Coen\u2019s West Coast offense. Tuten\u2019s home-run ability is apparent, as he leads the league in runs over 15+ MPH with 12 \u2014 three more than Jahmyr Gibbs \u2014 and is third among qualified running backs in missed tackles forced.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s just got great contact balance, but he\u2019s fast. I think he stretches and cuts. I think he\u2019s got excellent vision. I think he runs hard, runs behind his pads,\u201c Vrabel said. \u201dI think the speed probably\u2019s the biggest factor.\u201c<\/p>\n
After placing rookie Quintayvious Hutchins on injured reserve, the Patriots 53-man roster features just four outside linebackers: Dre\u2019Mont Jones, Elijah Ponder, Gabe Jacas, and Jose Ramirez.<\/p>\n
With Jones (shoulder) out for Sunday, Ponder and Jacas will be relied upon heavily with Ramirez joining the rotation after signing from the practice squad this week.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has been a really good practice player for us. I think he has improved since the time he has been here,\u201d Vrabel said of Ramirez. \u201cMultiple times being recognized by taking the reps that we talk about being on the show team and using those to his advantage. So, there will be an opportunity, we\u2019ll see, for him to be able to help us this week when we get down to the 48-man roster.\u201d<\/p>\n
Through two games, Mike Vrabel and VP of game strategy and operations John Streicher have had some questionable end-of-half decisions.<\/p>\n
In Seattle, the Patriots\u2019 defense recorded a third-down stop at the 22-yard line with 12 seconds remaining. Despite having one timeout left, Vrabel elected to let the clock run out rather than give Marcus Jones a chance to return a punt or attempt to go-all out for a block. Against Pittsburgh, the Patriots were penalized for a delay of game after Vrabel called a consecutive timeout following an automatic injury timeout, giving the Steelers five free yards.<\/p>\n
\u201cI blew it,\u201d Vrabel later admitted.<\/p>\n
End-of-half situations were a strength for the Patriots last season, and they\u2019ll need better execution moving forward with games against high-scoring offenses in Jacksonville and Buffalo.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was one of the best things, I felt like, last year that we did, whether getting points or ending with the football,\u201d Maye said. \u201cThat\u2019s definitely an emphasis: to play good football and try to \u201cdouble up\u201d as they call it. So, that\u2019s definitely something that we try to be mindful of and know that\u2019s the best way to kind of finish off the half.\u201c<\/p>\n
Asked who are some of the best leaders he\u2019s every been around, Christian Gonzalez provided three answers: Drake Maye, Ja\u2019Whaun Bentley, and Stefon Diggs. He provided more detail about his current and more recent former teammate:<\/p>\n
Drake Maye: \u201cDrake is a really good leader. He\u2019s found his voice very fast. I feel like he\u2019s found his voice and everybody in the locker room respects it. We lean on him and we go as he goes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stefon Diggs: \u201cStef was real cool to see how he leads and how he operates. That was a real cool person to be around and just learn how he used his voice in a different way. Just from playing the game for so long but also his progression as he was older. He wasn\u2019t all to himself like the media portrayed, that was cool to see how he was last year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gonzalez went on to state a good leader is one who is authentic and genuine, while someones performance on the field can also elevate them into that role. That route by example is the camp he finds himself in the most.<\/p>\n
\u201cI appreciate the fact that he\u2019s making people around him better through communication, alerts and awareness. And I think you need that,\u201c Vrabel said of his cornerback. \u201dYour best players have to be able to make the people around them better, and I think he\u2019s done that.\u201c<\/p>\n
The Patriots will hope the Nor\u2019Easter does not impact their travel home from Jacksonville following the game. If there are no delays, they will be in their typical regular season mode.<\/p>\n
This means Mike Vrabel media availability on Monday, off-day on Tuesday, and three straight practices plus injury reports from Wednesday through Friday. The team will then hold a final walkthrough on Saturday before traveling to Buffalo for a 1 p.m. ET game with the Bills.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The New England Patriots will look to build their first winning streak of the 2026 season. To do…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":411941,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117,163349],"class_list":["post-411940","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news","tag-new-england-patriots-analysis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/411940","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=411940"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/411940\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/411941"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=411940"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=411940"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=411940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}