The Patriots aren’t good and probably shouldn’t be counted on to win football games at this point in their rebuild.
We just can’t help ourselves.
New England is currently operating under awkward circumstances, as they currently find themselves trying to develop a rookie quarterback, with injuries up and down the offensive line, all while being forced to eat that gross food they make in the United Kingdom. It’s a less-than-ideal spot, for sure, but there’s one team operating under even worse circumstances …
The Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Patriots are going to crush the Jags, and we’ve got a few bold cheeky predictions that provide context to why we think that can happen. It’ll be a looooooong flight back from London for the “hometown” club:
MAYE ON THE MONEY
Maye had a few notable misses last weekend against the Houston Texans but showed the overall ability to take what was given to him and stay ahead of the sticks. The Patriots will want to see that continue, so expect some more play-action concepts and a lot of targets for new best friend DeMario Douglas.
New England hasn’t had a quarterback complete 70% of his passes yet this season, but the game plan should make that a possibility for the 22-year-old.
Prediction: Maye completes more than 70% of his passes.
RHAMONDRE RIPS ONE
New England has been quiet on the Stevenson front, but he came out Friday and said he expected to play. We’re going to take his word for it.
The Patriots will be so much better off for having Stevenson, and working alongside Maye could provide opportunities for some zone-read looks that he might not be totally used to running — but will certainly be better off for. It’s hard to think he can’t rip off at least one explosive rush.
Prediction: Stevenson plays, and has at least one rush of 30-plus yards.
MAYO MAKES THE CALL
The Patriots haven’t done anything cheeky this season, but there likely won’t be a better time for them to try than Sunday. Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo has been conservative thus far, but there should be opportunities to flip the script against one of the most aggressive special teams units in the NFL.
Prediction: New England (successfully) runs a trick play.
TANK BEING TANK
Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby has been one of the only positive developments for the franchise this season, starting to showcase an innate ability to break tackles (5.8 yards after contact per rush) and take on a heavy workload. The Patriots have been abhorrent against the run recently, giving up 177.7 rushing yards per game over their last three, so this is a tough matchup.
New England will be tested until it can successfully stop the run.
Prediction: Bigsby goes over 100 yards from scrimmage.
POLK’S REDEMPTION
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said Polk “needs to get over this mental hump” to become an efficient piece in the offense, and the rookie wideout firmly pushed back on that statement.
“I’m not dealing with mental problems at all. No mental problems,” Polk said this week, per Mark Daniels of MassLive. ” … I believe I have the best hands in the league. I feel like my drops, that’s not an issue at all.”
New England should give him an opportunity to prove himself right, if not only for the fact that he’s still among the most talented wideouts on the team.
Prediction: Polk catches four or more passes, with at least one coming on an explosive play.
WINNER, WINNER, BANGERS AND MASH FOR DINNER
Jaguars safety Andre Cisco told reporters he believed the team had “a lot of quit” following last weekend’s blowout loss to the Chicago Bears. The Patriots stink, but one thing they haven’t done is shown a quitter’s mentality, and that goes a long way when the other sideline is full of dudes looking to get the hell outta dodge.
Prediction: The Patriots stay unbeaten in London.
