Trying to Find Positives in Patriots' Less-Than-Positive Loss

FOXBORO — You've likely seen the score already. The New England Patriots got the doors blown off in a 35-6 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3 on Sunday. It wasn't pretty at all.

Nothing could go right. Drake Maye turned the ball over three times, the offensive line allowed 14 pressures and the defense allowed five touchdowns in the red zone. Once the game got out of hand, the white flags were starting to get unraveled.

And yet, speaking to reporters one day removed from the Patriots' second loss of the season, head coach Mike Vrabel still took away some positives from the performance.

Silver Linings From Patriots Week 3 Defeat:

"We hit some plays. We took advantage of some things," Vrabel said Monday afternoon. "Offensively, we hit an X play down there on the sidelines to Pop (DeMario Douglas). I thought that the protection continued to improve. It wasn’t perfect, but I think we made some good efforts. I saw some guys cleaning the pocket out."

Douglas, returning to his hometown for the first time as a pro, was on the receiving end of a big chunk play early. The fourth-year wideout got open down the left sideline in the second quarter, picking up 38 yards in between defenders. He then tried to break away before being brought down by Travis Hunter.

Drake Maye finds DeMario Douglas with a DEEP SHOT 🎯#NFL pic.twitter.com/Z3Hk9nUfau
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 27, 2026

That play showed off Maye's arm strength and allowed the Patriots to move into Jaguars' territory. But like Vrabel wou'd go onto say, the team just couldn't get out of their own way. That series concluded with Maye throwing his first of two interceptions in the end zone. That was the story of the game.

On the other side of the ball, the Patriots really struggled to affect Trevor Lawrence in the pocket. They were able to try and create some havoc, but weren't able to get him to the ground. Gabe Jacas, playing in just his third game, had a nice day, but the sacks just didn't come as regularly as they did a week prior.

"We tried to affect the quarterback. We just dropped them," Vrabel continued. "Those MOBPs (missed opportunities for big plays) are close. We got an interception on a pressure. We tipped a pass; we always talk about tipping passes."

Jacksonville Jaguars safety Rayuan Lane III (25), right, can’t tackle New England Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones (25) during the first quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The interception, a nice tip by safety Jaylen Reed, fell right into the arms of Marcus Jones. At that time, it was still a one-score game and the Patriots felt like they had grabbed momentum. After forcing two turnovers a week prior, that pick started to seem like it would start trickling down on the rest of the team.

"Special teams, we created a penalty. We had a return out to the 40," Vrabel said, mentioning Kyle Williams' big return in the kicking game. "But then again, there are the same things that we took advantage of. We blocked a guy in the back to start the drive, backed up. We don’t use the rules to our advantage on the sideline with the kick. We turn the ball over, and then we don’t take the chances on defense when we have chances to turn the ball over, turn it over.

"They executed in the red zone, we clearly didn’t. We missed a field goal. The game got away from us after that."

Ultimately, it wasn't going to be a winning performance by the Patriots any way you twist it. But there were a few things that could be used as positives going into a big divisional game against the Buffalo Bills this week.

Make sure you bookmark New England Patriots on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns, and so much more!

Add us as a preferred source on Google