5 Jaguars to Watch in Week 3 Against the Patriots: RB Room Takes Focus

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- There are plenty of Jacksonville Jaguars who will need a big week against the New England Patriots in Week 3.

The Patriots offer the Jaguars a tough early-season matchup that will require the Jaguars to have all hands on deck, and there are more than a few Jaguars worth keeping a close eye on in the process. So, which Jaguars are we watching with the most interest in Week 3? We break it down below.

RB Bhayshul Tuten

It feels like this could be the week the Jaguars start to really push the envelope with Bhayshul Tuten. He has been their most dynamic and effective rusher through two weeks, and it feels like he is primed to make a big play soon, either on the ground or in the passing game, where the Jaguars could be hopeful to get him more involved. Tuten has recorded the first- and third-most carries in a single game in his career in the first two weeks, but there is more that can be tapped into entering the tough stretch of the Jaguars' schedule.

“I think in the run game, the runs probably speak for themselves, the yards after contact, being able to find the reads. I think his reads themselves have improved," Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski said this week. "And I think in the protection game, we haven't got to feature him quite as much as we would like to in the route game as a pass catcher, but you see him more out there in the protection game and in passing situations feel really comfortable with him out there picking up blitzes and recognizing the different pressures that I mentioned that teams like Denver, teams like New England bring. I think the growth has been pretty consistent in all areas. It doesn't always show up on Sunday. Would've loved to have seen a couple more targets to him at this point in Week 2."

The Patriots do offer a tough challenge in terms of a physical, downhill defensive front that is built to stop the run. But in a game where the Patriots are surely going to throw everything they have at the line of scrimmage, Tuten could end up being a critical piece to any answers the Jaguars might have. If things go a certain way, this could be looked back on as the week Tuten started to earn his spot as RB1.

DL DaVon Hamilton

I have been very impressed by the early-season performances from Jaguars nose tackle DaVon Hamilton. He has been dominant in the running game, making plays as a rangy nose tackle while also wreaking enough havoc that he allows the rest of the Jaguars' front to make plays off of his disruption as well. Hamilton popped up on the injury report this week after a back injury last week, but he does not have an injury designation for Sunday's game and should be good to play.

Hamilton has developed into a special player and, arguably, one of the most important defenders on the team. After his performances over the first two weeks, I am interested to see how he performs against a Patriots' interior offensive line that will have a backup right guard. He is a player who can tip the scales in a game like this.

WR Parker Washington

If the Jaguars had an offensive MVP right now, it might be Parker Washington. The Trevor Lawrence-led passing game has produced a ton of big plays over the first two weeks, and many of them have gone in the direction of Parker Washington. Washington has been one of the NFL's most productive receivers through two weeks, and it feels safe to say he will not see much of Christian Gonzalez from the slot.

While I think the Jaguars will give Jakobi Meyers and Brenton Strange more looks in the passing game this week, it seems clear the passing attack has to flow through Washington. In another matchup against a team with an alien playing outside cornerback, the Jaguars' best path toward explosive plays in the passing game will be by going through Washington and the slot once again.

LB Ventrell Miller

Ventrell Miller has flown around over the first two weeks. Stepping into the shoes of a departed Devin Lloyd, Miller has been the Jaguars' clear No. 1 option at weak side linebacker after a training camp battle with Branson Combs. He has played some good football in the process, making plenty of plays against the run and as a blitzer in his first starts as a full-time starter.

“He's done a really good job overall. I felt like even in the last game, he did a good job," Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile said this week. "He's a guy you can rely on to set the tone physically for the defense. And that's one thing that I feel like he's done over the first two games. He's looking to improve, he's trying to do extra. And I think all of his teammates see that, and that's been a good thing for our defense.”

According to NextGenStats, Miller leads the Jaguars with 11 run tackles, seven run stops, and two run stuffs in 2026. Miller's run tackle rate (26.2%) is a career-high through the first two games of a season; he recorded 15 run tackles all of last season. He has gotten off to a fast start, and he will be key against a physical rushing attack from New England.

CB Montaric Brown

It feels clear that if the Patriots are going to find big plays through the passing game, it will have to go through wide receiver Romeo Doubs. Nobody is going to confuse Doubs with star receiver A.J. Brown, but he has the ability to win downfield and get behind the defense for big plays, and it will be key for the Jaguars to slow him down this week. That will likely start and end with the performance of cornerback Montaric Brown, who leads the Jaguars' cornerbacks in snaps thus far this season.

Brown should get plenty of reps against Doubs where the big-play receiver attempts to win vertically. If Brown can hold his own against Doubs on such plays, the Jaguars might have a chance to suffocate the Patriots' limited pass-catching options otherwise, giving them a defensive edge to attack.

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