5 Bold Predictions for Jaguars' Week 3 Test vs. Patriots: The Drake Maye Day

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars have a critical early-season matchup with the New England Patriots in Week 3, and there is no underselling how big this game is.

The Jaguars have spent all week talking about the importance of responding to last week's failures in Denver. For the Jaguars to take down the visiting Patriots in Week 3, they will need to be at their best.

So, how do we see the Jaguars' Week 3 battle with the Patriots playing out? We break it down with this week's five bold predictions.

Drake Maye Throws 2 Deep Touchdowns ... and 2 Deep Interceptions

The Jaguars certainly have a big challenge when it comes to Drake Maye. He is an aggressive passer with a big arm, and he is also one of the most mobile quarterbacks in the NFL. His last few starts dating back to last year's playoffs have not exactly been the smoothest of his career thus far, but he has the kind of skill-set that can turn a game upside down from the first drop back of the day to the last one.

With a Jaguars defense that has allowed so many explosive plays through the air, I expect the Patriots to air it out quite a bit in terms of vertical passes. I even expect the Patriots to connect on a few. But at the same time, I think the Jaguars manage to pick off at least two Maye deep attempts, both due to the expected volume of downfield shots and due to Maye's recent streak of uneven play.

Trevor Lawrence Rushes for 50 Yards

NFL — Sep 20, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) calls out signals against the Denver Broncos during the second half at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Trevor Lawrence has been the MVP of the Jaguars through two games, and I expect him to once again be the key to the Jaguars' offense on Sunday against the Patriots. I think it is likely clear the Patriots are going to send a decent amount of pressure at him via blitzes, too, due to their high blitz rate and the Jaguars' struggle against the blitz so far this year.

The most efficient way to beat the blitz? For Lawrence to use his legs to create his own first downs and chunk gains. I think we see Lawrence take off quite a few times against the Patriots on Sunday, and I think it ends up being an important part of what the Jaguars do on offense on the day as a whole in the process.

The Patriots Do Not Have a RB Pass 50 Yards

nfl — Sep 20, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) hands teh ball off to running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) during the second half against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Jaguars will need DaVon Hamilton at full strength this weekend, because the Patriots certainly have the running backs to test them. Rhamondre Stevenson is a terrific power back, while TreVeyon Henderson is a home-run hitter with the speed to take it to the house if the Jaguars ever lose the edge or are out of their gaps. While Maye is the Patriots' most dangerous player on offense, their running backs are not very far behind.

With that said, I think the Jaguars manage to keep both at bay. The Jaguars' front should have an edge on the Patriots' when it comes to the running game, and the Jaguars have only really been gashed on the ground this year by quarterback scrambles. I would expect Drake Maye's rushing yards to be a bigger problem than the running back's.

Jakobi Meyers/Brenton Strange Combine for 10 Catches

The Jaguars have oddly not been able to get two of their best players invovled in the passing game with wide receiver Jakobi Meyers and tight end Brenton Strange, who have combined for seven catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns through two weeks. That is about to kind of production that Parker Washington has been putting up weekly, making it clear there is still some room for the Jaguars to spread the ball around.

I think the Broncos put out a blueprint on the Jaguars' offense that other units will now try to follow, which is mizing up coverages to prevent the Jaguars from having success on throws to the perimeter. I think the Patriots will dare Parker Washington and Brian Thomas Jr. to beat them, which will then lead to Meyers and Strange getting more involved this week as the Jaguars use them to stay ahead of the chains.

Travis Hunter Plays Season-High Snaps

NFL — Sep 20, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) playing on defense against the Denver Broncos during the fourth quarter at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The usage of Travis Hunter has been a hot topic to start the season, but I do think we see him get ramped up a bit as the season goes on. He almost has to for the Jaguars to start to justify the price they gave up for him, even if that price is not exactly on the Jaguars' minds each week. With that said, I predict we see Travis Hunter play a season-high in snaps on both offense and defense this week.

After a few weeks of letting Hunter get back into the mix of things on defense, I think the Jaguars will start to lean on him more this week in hopes of seeing him make the types of impact plays that the secondary has not yet made through two games. What is there for the Jaguars to lose after last week's performances?

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