Why Couldn’t Patriots Sustain Fast Start Against Jaguars?
The New England Patriots appeared in control to start Sunday’s matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The team posted 10 points on its first two drives as Drake Maye made impact plays in the pass game with improved decision-making. From there, the Patriots lacked momentum as an offense and the defense allowed 25 unanswered points in an eventual 32-16 loss.
Head coach Jerod Mayo highlighted that discouraging shift and called for more from his “soft football team” that particularly struggled on the ground in London.
“They controlled the ball for most of the day,” Mayo told reporters, per a team-provided transcript. “Their run game averaged over 4.5 yards a carry. Our run game, not sure what the average was, but it wasn’t good.”
Mayo’s right. It wasn’t good, as the Patriots averaged a measly 2.5 yards per carry, which completely killed the early momentum Maye inserted into the offense. The failure to have any successful diversity ruined a capable offensive day against one of the league’s worst defenses.
“What I will say is it’s a mentality, it’s an attitude,” Mayo assessed. “Here as of late, our run game just hasn’t been able to do anything offensively.”
The Patriots need a full 60 minutes of performance in Week 8 when they host the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium.