JACKSONVILLE – (Wire Service Preview) – The New England Patriots were the best road team in the NFL last season, a perfect 8-0 in the regular season.
New England travels to Jacksonville on Sunday afternoon looking to start a new streak against the Jaguars. The Patriots lost at Seattle to begin the regular season.
It won’t be easy against a Jacksonville crew going for its sixth consecutive regular-season home win dating back to last season.
“They play well at home. They’ve been getting great first-half leads,” Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said of Jacksonville. “They feast off turnovers. They’ve been creating turnovers and turning those into points.”
Division winners in the AFC last season, Jacksonville and New England have taken opposing paths to their respective 1-1 records.
The Jaguars opened with a convincing win over the Cleveland Browns before blowing a fourth-quarter lead in last week’s 20-13 loss at Denver.
Trevor Lawrence threw a touchdown pass to four different receivers in the opening win, then was held under 200 passing yards with no touchdowns against the Broncos.
Jacksonville hasn’t found the same consistent offensive success as it had in Liam Coen’s first season as head coach.
The 2025 Jaguars finished sixth in the NFL in scoring offense (27.9 points per game) and 11th in total offense (337.4 yards per game). This year’s team ranks 15th in scoring (23.5 ppg) and total offense (314.0 ypg) through two games.
Wide receivers Brian Thomas Jr. (80 yards) and Jakobi Meyers (68) and tight end Brenton Strange (48) haven’t carried over their production which buoyed the 2025 offense.
Parker Washington, however, has built on his breakthrough 2025 campaign, following up his 847 yards and five TDs with a team-high 181 yards and a touchdown this season.
“Obviously, he’s super talented. He gets open, creates separation. He’s a really good route runner, great ball skills, can make contested catches. All those things are part of it,” Lawrence said of Washington’s success. “I trust him. Our chemistry has grown more and more over the past year of him being put in a lot of different situations and excelling and winning his 1-on-1s. All those things kind of play into that.”
New England features a lockdown cornerback in Christian Gonzalez, who has excelled since signing a record-breaking four-year, $135 million extension before the regular season began. Gonzalez locked up DK Metcalf in the Patriots’ win last week. Washington isn’t the same type of physical specimen, but has been more productive.
He’s No. 2 in the NFL in target share behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba at 36.7% which is why he warrants the attention of Gonzalez.
The Patriots were unable to beat the Drew Lock-led Seahawks in their opener but bounced back with a resounding 20-3 home win over Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh last week.
New England is allowing a league-best 8.0 points per game, while Drake Maye scrambles to recapture the momentum of his second-place MVP finish last season.
The third-year quarterback has one touchdown pass and four interceptions. Vrabel is trusting the process over the early results.
“Being decisive, believing in what you see,” Vrabel said of what he wants to see from Maye. “All we ask all our players to do is prepare to try to play fast and aggressively and make great decisions. So, yeah, we could always say, ‘Man, we should have let that one rip,’ or ‘We’ve got to make a better decision.’
“Ultimately, it’s his responsibility to be able to distribute the football as quickly and decisively as possible in the places that it’s supposed to go.”
Meyers (thumb), running back LeQuint Allen Jr. (hip), offensive linemen Robert Hainsey (elbow/groin) and Cole Van Lanen (knee) as well as defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton (back) were all limited in Jacksonville’s practice on Thursday. Cornerback Christian Braswell (knee) pracaticed in full one day after being limited.
A pair of New England linebackers in Dre’Mont Jones (shoulder) and Quintayvious Hutchins (knee), along with safety Craig Woodson (shoulder) and tight end Eli Raridon (thigh) didn’t practice Thursday, while starting right tackle Morgan Moses (foot) was limited.
Jacksonville has won the last two times it hosted New England, most recently in 2024, but the Patriots hold a 12-3 edge in the all-time series, including postseason play.