After a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, it felt like the New England Patriots had a legitimate shot of beating the Jacksonville Jaguars. But once the second period began, all of that hope was immediately thrown out the window as the Patriots got outscored 32-6 for the rest of the game. Now that they will be back in their home country and at their home stadium, the only thing that the fans could hope for is a respectable fight against the New York Jets. Fittingly enough, it is the last time that this division rival won a game.
Entering this week on a four-game losing streak, the Jets have not only underachieved but proven to be an overdramatic circus show. They fired head coach Robert Saleh, demoted the offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, and even acquired Davante Adams in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders. None of those moves have seemed to solve anything, but they at least have talent all across the board, so the Patriots might walk into their seventh straight defeat if things do not turn around. Let’s take a look at the five biggest things New England has to take advantage of to finally get a second win on the board, but also what can work for New York to end their losing streak as well.
Patriots Week 8 Preview vs Jets
1. Patriots Running Game Has to Step Up
One of the biggest reasons why the Patriots’ offense got completely shut down after the first quarter against the Jaguars was because they could not run the ball at all. The Jacksonville defense might not be able to stop the pass, but one thing they have been decent at over the last few years is controlling the ground game, and New England clearly did not get the message. They attempted to run it fifteen times and only totaled thirty-eight yards, averaging 2.5 yards per carry. Drake Maye was the leading rusher once again, while Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson only combined for twenty-two yards on ten touches. When New England lost to the Jets 24-3 on Thursday Night Football on September 19, they did not even utilize the running game. Stevenson only had six carries that included a lost fumble, and Gibson touched it just five times, but they combined for an average of 4.8 yards per run. It is understandable that the Patriots offensive line has been an absolute mess all season long that cannot do anything right, but offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt has to prioritize the running game against a Jets defense that is giving up close to 128 yards per game in that department.
2. Jets Defensive Line vs. Pats Offensive Line: Mismatch
It felt like yesterday when both Jacoby Brissett and Maye were completely bottled up by the Jets’ defensive line on that woeful Thursday night. The veteran starter got sacked five times while the rookie was taken down twice in mop-up duty, a pair of them from Will McDonald, the second-year defensive end that the Jets drafted in the first round. David Andrews and Michael Onwenu were both on the field that day, so if New York could generate that much pressure against a somewhat healthy Patriots offensive line, then one can only fear what is going to happen against a group that is down to their third center in three weeks. Overall, this disgusting mismatch is a big reason why Drake Maye could struggle on Sunday afternoon. While the Jets have issues with their run defense along with injuries in the secondary, their defensive line alone could win their team the game because New England cannot block anybody for longer than half a second.
3. Ja’Lynn Polk Has to Step Up
Leading up to the previous game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, head coach Jerod Mayo said that rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk needed to eliminate the mental errors and continue to grow into a solid NFL player. In response, Polk said that he believes he has the best hands in the league. On Sunday morning, he had to eat those words because on three targets from Maye, he dropped all three passes. After the game, he posted a cryptic message on his Instagram story with a peace sign emoji that he soon deleted. Throughout the season, one of the biggest talking points about this Patriots offense is that the young wide receivers on this team have to step up if they want to regain their respectability. While plenty of other players need to step up in their own way, Polk is the one who has to do it the most, mainly for two reasons. The first is that he was their second draft pick this past offseason, somebody that New England envisioned to develop into an underrated wide receiver. The second is that he is the one generating the most attention with the actions that he made over the last week or two. It would be too extreme to say that he needs to be benched for this upcoming game against the Jets, but Mayo is absolutely right when he tells the media that Polk needs to put in the effort to play better. Drops and bad performances will come and go, but one that must never walk out the door is professionalism.
4. The Pats Defense Cannot Get Torched Yet Again
When the Patriots’ defense lost Matt Judon and Christian Gonzalez last year due to season-ending injuries, they were at least still a respectable unit. This season, they have been the worst Patriots defense since 2017, when Matt Patricia was the coordinator. Obviously, New England has been hit with more losses. Judon got traded, Christian Barmore and Ja’Whaun Bentley were ruled out indefinitely, and Jabrill Peppers got placed on the Commissioner’s Exemption List. However, nobody has stepped up in their absences. At one point in the second half on Sunday, the Jaguars ran the ball nineteen straight times because the Patriots had no answers against the run. Tank Bigsby ran for 118 yards and scored twice on twenty-six touches, and this was without Travis Etienne in the lineup! This is now the fifth straight week where New England has allowed more than 130 rushing yards and it could be a sixth if the Jets offense decides to finally get out of their own way. They still have plenty of talent that can keep the Patriots defense on the field, especially now that Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams are reunited. Even if it does not become a pass-heavy game, then everybody knows just how much of a stud Breece Hall is as a running back, so this could be deja vu of what happened in the regular season finale last year.
5. Jerod Mayo: This is Your Team!
After the 32-16 defeat to the Jaguars, Mayo told the media that this team was “soft all across the board”. That word can trigger plenty of athletes because it could be classified as a personal attack. Obviously, coaches cannot be blamed whenever the players continuously make mistakes on the field. They deserve plenty of responsibility and criticism for the Patriots not winning a game in six weeks. However, it is up to the head coach to give this team a sense of urgency and prepare them in the best way possible to succeed. For all of the issues that this roster has, Mayo knows that when it comes to defeat and adversity, the first thing he needs to do is accept a majority of the responsibility and accountability because he is the head coach. The players are responsible for making the plays, but without any leadership from the most important position in football, then the team is only going to transition into a worse state as the season progresses.
Main Image: Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images
