Jaguars vs. Patriots: Jacksonville Grades, Notes and Quotes
The Jacksonville Jaguars were 13.5-point underdogs, according to OddsShark.com, going into Week 3's matchup with the New England Patriots, and it would've been a positive day for the Jaguars to beat the spread.
That simply didn't happen.
Instead, the Jaguars put in their worst performance of the season, leading to a 51-17 loss in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The Patriots are one of the best, if not the best team in the NFL, but the Jaguars were out of it before the second half began.
Quarterback Blake Bortles and the offense couldn't make anything happen when the game was still in reach, save for a solid drive for a field goal. Unlike Week 2, and even more so than Week 1, the offense looked incompetent and not ready for a Patriots defense that can be scored on.
The defense was always going to have a tougher job than the offense, but they also looked much worse than either of their previous performances. Injuries to the secondary hurt, but the lack of pass rush and capability to stop the run were there all the same.
Position Grades for Jacksonville
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| Position | Grade |
| QB | C- |
| RB | C+ |
| WR | C- |
| TE | C- |
| OL | D+ |
| DL | D |
| LB | D+ |
| DB | D+ |
| Special Teams | B |
| Coaching | D |
Running back T.J. Yeldon brought excitement early, although his plays were limited thanks to another bad run-blocking performance by the offensive line. The line did better in pass blocking, but Bortles was constantly pressured and never looked comfortable.
Bortles threw a bad pick as well as some other off target throws, but his day as a whole could've gone much worse.The same goes for the tight ends and wide receivers, who were shut down by the Patriots secondary and never gave Bortles much of a chance when the Jaguars were still in the game.
The defense had its worst performance in a while, and 51 points allowed is the most in Jaguars franchise history. The line provided little to no trouble for Patriots QB Tom Brady and their running backs. The linebackers only did marginally better, and injuries, penalties and lack of talent hampered the secondary.
Finally, the coaching was horrendous. The Jaguars didn't adapt defensively or offensively, and the fake punt down 27 points wasn't anything but embarrassing. The coaching staff has seen much better days.
Blake Bortles' Interception Late in the First Half a Killer
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The Jaguars were down 13-3 to the Patriots and at the Patriots' 45-yard line with just under two minutes left. The Jaguars have had success as of late in the two-minute offense, but they couldn't finish the job due to a bad throw and pick by Bortles.
Bortles saw tight end Marcedes Lewis with a favorable matchup and then saw Patriots safety Devin McCourty shift away and back from where Lewis was likely to be at the end of the route. That turned out to be bait, and Bortles bit it very quickly.
McCourty easily intercepted the bad pass and took it to near midfield, which allowed the Pats offense to go down, score and make the game 20-3 going into the half. Instead of being 10 points or potentially a touchdown or field goal down, the Jaguars were down three scores.
It was a poorly thrown ball, and Lewis may have ran the wrong route, but plays like that will kill the Jaguars' chances of competing, as it did in Foxborough this Sunday.
The loss is on the team as a whole, but those types of plays from Bortles don't allow the Jaguars to even be in the game. Bortles has had good moments and is definitely improved, but that throw showed he has plenty of work to do.
Allen Hurns Hits His First Big Play of the Season
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Wide receiver Allen Hurns burst onto the scene in 2014 with a stellar preseason performance and two TDs against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1. He went on to score a total of six TDs but hadn't found the end zone coming into Week 3.
He was able to fix that error against the Patriots, although the touchdown did nothing to affect the game, considering the Jaguars were down 30-3 beforehand. However, his 59-yard TD may be just what he needs to get back in form.
Hurns lined up in the slot on the play, which may be a big reason why he's found success. The fact that he has outside receiver talent but looks best in the slot creates a mismatch the Jaguars used last season, but rookie Rashad Greene took away snaps from that position.
Considering Greene's Week 2 injury and Hurns' big play this week, it may be for the best to move Hurns inside and see if he can continue to make big plays from the slot. The wide receivers need a boost, and Hurns being a threat from the slot will certainly help.
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Gus Bradley Explains Lack of Pressure on Tom Brady
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The Jaguars consistently rushed three or four players at Brady, which is the opposite of what many would expect the Jaguars to do. Brady is one of the best QBs in the league, and giving him time to throw really hurt the Jaguars defensively.
Head coach Gus Bradley said during his postgame press conference the decision to not pressure Brady often was a decision he and the staff had made after looking into specific stats and situations.
"A lot of his big plays occurred versus pressure," Bradley said. "In the past and what we studied him, his percentage went up...and the big plays went up [when pressured]."
That may be the case, but letting a future hall-of-fame QB sit back and throw darts at a hampered and unmatched secondary doesn't sound like that much better of an option.
The Jaguars don't play another top QB like Brady for the rest of the season, but the lesson remains that the only way the Jaguars will beat most of their opposing offenses is by causing havoc in the backfield, and they didn't do that Sunday.
Blake Bortles Admits Interception Was His Mistake
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The Jaguars were down 13-3 and driving down the field at the end of the first half. Just after the two-minute warning, Bortles took a shot downfield towards TE Marcedes Lewis but completely missed him and found McCourty instead.
It was a major mistake from Bortles, but the aggressiveness to score and make an impact is understandable. However, he has to cut down on those throws. Bortles knows he made a major mistake, but it's what comes next that's important.
"[I was] trying to take a shot and put some points up on the board before half," Bortles told reporters. "The last thing you can have in that situation is a turnover. Bad play, bad throw, having Marcedes [Lewis] running down with the linebacker trailing him and just missed him. It was a bad throw and that really can't happen."
Bortles is obviously upset by his throw, but later in his press conference, he was asked about playing against Brady and what this game meant to him.
"You're not playing as an offense, Tom Brady," Bortles said. "You're playing the New England Patriots defense...I just don't think we played very well. But, I mean, I don't think this game is going to define us. I think it's how we respond to it and what we do next."
Bortles responded to adversity in Week 1 by putting in an improved performance in Week 2 that led to a win. Can he do the same in Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts?
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.
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