Who would have thought that a Week 17 game against the Jaguars would be a pseudo-do-or-die game huh? But that’s the position the Patriots find themselves in the last home game of the year this weekend. Unlike the previous two games though, this one shouldn’t be as difficult. Even in the Pats decide to show up with the same sorry performances they’ve put on the last two weeks. Here’s the 3 ways the Patriots can beat the Jaguars Sunday afternoon.
Keep Mac Jones Clean
This is a sort of two-pronged topic here. First and foremost, if you keep Jones up, he is more than able to throw against almost any defense. The Jags are 14th in pass yards per game so while they aren’t terrible, they aren’t that good either. And with Jacksonville ranking 24th in pressures and tied for 3rd for the least amount of sacks on the year, there’s no reason Mac Jones should see a ton of pressure this weekend. You always hear about “get right” games, and that’s what this should be for Mac. And THAT leads me into my second prong.
Keeping Mac Jones upright will go a long way for his confidence going into the playoffs as well as his overall health. All it takes is one roll up or for a guy to land on him the wrong way and that’s all folks. This game will prove crucial in Mac’s continued development and that best way to get things back on track is too keep his jersey clean and, as the saying goes, let him cook.
Get More Creative On Offense
This one will certainly help beat the Jaguars, but it’s more of a long term thing as well. Now, I’m not talking about trick plays every drive, but switch it up a little bit McDaniels, please. The last two weeks, this offense has looked more plain than vanilla soft serve with no toppings in a plain cone. No creative screens, a lack of jet sweeps and no route combos designed to get people open for an easy pitch and catch. The Jags are 9th in the league at stopping the run, so you may have to dial up some creative run plays to get that going.
And with Kendrick Bourne officially all the way back from COVID, there should be more creativity in that phase as well. IF the Pats are going to make any noise in the playoffs, it’s vital that they start switching somethings up and making it easier on themselves.
Confuse Trevor Lawrence
This is that one bullet point where statistics don’t really matter, other than one. Bill Belichick is elite against rookie QB’s. This needs to continue Sunday in order for the Pats to win. Lawrence is definitely talented, there’s no doubt about that. But his talent in no way shape or form should be able to carry him past what Belichick is going to dial up. Trevor Lawrence has thrown, wait for it, ONE touchdown pass since…wait for it again…HALLOWEEN. I don’t care how much potential you have or what flashes you’ve show, that’s really bad. Belichick should be able to confuse the rookie and force him into a few costly mistakes, as he’s done almost every rookie he’s faced.
Conclusion:
The Patriots need this win and they’ll get it. I just simply can’t imagine a reality where they don’t win this one pretty easily. Jacksonville has been a dumpster fire all year and it’d be an embarrassment for the Pats to lose to them, at home, with the chance to clinch a playoff spot on the line. Look for this entire team to get back on track in all phases in this one. 24-9 Patriots.
(Featured Photo Credit www.en.news7todays.com)
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Mike Sullivan (@msully5433 on Twitter)
