The Week 3 showdown between the Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots felt like an early taste of the AFC Playoffs when the 2026 schedule was announced. Just a few weeks into the new season, these two teams seem headed in opposite directions: the Jags feel like a Super Bowl contender behind a stud quarterback, while the Patriots are experiencing the dreaded Super Bowl hangover. Drake Maye continues to bounce back against a tough schedule..
The Jaguars outscored the Patriots 35-6, with highlights in all four quarters on Sunday. Maye was terrible for New England.He turned the ball over three times and looked like a broken quarterback on the play. Meanwhile, Trevor Lawrence quietly ran Jacksonville’s offense at a high level, adding 182 yards through the air with three passing touchdowns and one interception.
Lawrence could have had another touchdown in the fourth quarter, but decided to take the knee instead. On a designed run, Lawrence broke several tackles at the line of scrimmage to find a clear path to the end zone. Instead of running in, he opted to take the knee with nearly nine minutes left in the game. NFL fans watching the game were confused by what just happened. Watch the game here:
Why didn’t Lawrence just score? It was a three ball game with about nine minutes left, plenty of time to start bleeding the clock. Imagine if the Jags fumbled on the next play or if Lawrence somehow threw a pick-six out of the end zone.
Lawrence said after the game that he was trying to bleed the clock, but probably made a mistake. When I’m free and nobody tackles me, that’s what we always talk about, going down and letting the clock run. That was too much time (left to kneel)… maybe not the best decision. See Lawrence’s full explanation here:
This felt like a mistake at the time. It’s refreshing to hear Lawrence admit he’s struggling.
Lawrence probably could have done his offensive line a favor by just scoring instead of having them line up on the goal line through physical activity. Tutton eventually scored and the Jags rolled.
No one will remember this moment in a few weeks, and that’s exactly what Lawrence wanted.
