Jaguars vs Patriots: What's the Game Plan for Jacksonville?

Every team has weaknesses, and that's what gives the Jacksonville Jaguars a chance in their tough road trip to Foxborough, Massachusetts to face the New England Patriots. The defending Super Bowl champions are 2-0, confident and will likely be the Jaguars toughest game of the season.

The Patriots opened at 14-point favorites according to OddsShark.com, the biggest spread of Week 3. The Jaguars are often underdogs, but they may be bigger underdogs this week than any other this season, and understandably so.

Not only are the Patriots the defending Super Bowl champs, but they've defended their title with ease the first two weeks of the 2015 season. They handled the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills with relative ease, and both of those teams are considerably better than Jacksonville.

However, head coach Bill Belichick's regime has shown cracks in the past, and the Patriots have a few less-than-stellar units. If the Jaguars want to compete for four quarters, they have to figure out how to hit the Patriots at their weakest spots.

Offensive Game Plan

A big part of the Patriots defense last year was corners Brandon Browner and Darrelle Revis, but both have moved on. The rest of the secondary is solid, but they aren't incredible, and the Jaguars will need their receivers to win that matchup. 

Jim Rogash/Getty Images

Going through wide receiver Allen Robinson will likely be a good plan of action for quarterback Blake Bortles. Receivers Allen Hurns and Marqise Lee offer vertical threats, who could draw some attention off Robinson, allowing him to take advantage of more one-on-one matchups in the Patriots' secondary.

The Jaguars also need another good showing from their offensive line, which protected Bortles well in Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins. They will have another test against the Patriots, who have 11 sacks already this year, including eight last week.

A way to avoid an intense pass rush is to emphasize the running game, which is also what the Jaguars did in Week 2. Running back T.J. Yeldon saw 25 carries for just 70 yards against the Dolphins, but helped open up the offense. The Patriots are No. 21 in the NFL in rushing defense, which could allow for more success for Yeldon and the offense as a whole.

The game plan against the Patriots shouldn't be that different from Week 2's game plan. It starts with blocking up front and a strong running game to give Bortles time to get the ball to his wideouts, who need to take advantage of their matchups against one of the Patriots' weaker units.

Defensive Game Plan

There are visible opportunities for the offense to succeed, but the defense has a much tougher task against the Patriots' offense. Quarterback Tom Brady has looked as good as ever through the first two weeks, and it doesn't help that his receivers are looking fantastic as well.

	Yards	Touchdowns	Completion Percentage	Interceptions	Rating
Week 1	288	4	78.1	0	143.8
Week 2	466	3	64.4	0	105.6

The Jaguars' secondary, specifically cornerbacks Aaron Colvin, Demetrius McCray and Davon House, have to put a mediocre start behind them and stand their ground against Patriots wide receivers Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola. 

The Jaguars did a fine job of handling Miami running back Lamar Miller, holding him to just 14 yards on the ground in Week 2. The Patriots don't offer a much tougher test for the Jags' run defense, but the passing game could open up a few chances for the Patriots' running backs.

The one player the Jaguars will try their hardest to contain but will be unlikely to stop is tight end Rob Gronkowski. Gronk also looks to be firing on all cylinders. There might not be a single person in the NFL that can legitimately stop him, so the Jaguars just need to focus on limiting him to shorter routes and not give him anything in the seam.

The Jags' defense has a large order, but a few stops and a turnover or two could do a lot to keep the them in it late. Brady has to be pressured consistently—the earlier they can get Brady on the ground, the better.

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

It's unlikely the Jaguars can dig in on the Patriots enough on both sides of the ball, but New England isn't a perfect team. Striking the Dolphins' weakness at corner and containing their defensive front won the Jaguars the game in Week 2, and doing the same in Week 3 should make the game decently close.

It's not vital the Jaguars win this game, because they aren't supposed to. But putting in a respectable performance, at least, and competing with the Patriots for four quarters would be encouraging going into Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts.

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All stats were provided by ESPN.com unless otherwise stated.

Evan Reier is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report covering the Jacksonville Jaguars. Follow Evan on Twitter @evanreier.