LONDON — The Jacksonville Jaguars discovered the top zone for the ultimate time Sunday, this landing guaranteeing the most recent New England Patriots loss would finish in blowout trend, like so many others. Some 35 yards away, coach Jerod Mayo eliminated his headset and seemed round Wembley Stadium, at nothing and at all the pieces, left in disbelief by his group’s play.
Mayo took this job driving a wave of optimism with a franchise that badly wanted change after almost a quarter-century beneath Invoice Belichick. Now, seven video games into his tenure, the Patriots are setting information for futility not seen in many years. They misplaced their sixth straight sport Sunday, an old style, 32-16 butt-kicking delivered by a Jaguars group that appeared on the verge of quitting on its coach. The Pats hadn’t misplaced that many in a row since 1993.
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Jaguars beat Patriots 32-16 in London as New England falters: Takeaways
On the sideline, Mayo seemed like a person bereft of solutions. He will need to have been fuming — a tricky, run-stopping former center linebacker now teaching a group both unwilling or unable to cease the run.
A couple of minutes later, after the merciful remaining whistle, Mayo arrived to face the media with a plan. He referred to as his Patriots one of many worst issues soccer gamers may be referred to as.
“We’re a tender soccer group throughout the board,” he mentioned as a part of an unprompted opening assertion.
Jerod Mayo clearly annoyed: “We’re a tender soccer group throughout the board.” pic.twitter.com/e07iO7eCMa
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) October 20, 2024
Mayo has introduced with him loads of departures from his predecessor and former mentor, however this information convention felt notable. Belichick would typically say that video games within the NFL had been misplaced by coaches and gained by gamers. But Mayo felt the Patriots are in such dire, determined straits that the perfect route was to name his group tender seven video games right into a rebuilding season.
Perhaps it’ll work. Perhaps the Patriots will work out the right way to cease the run, and perhaps calling gamers out will inspire them to work more durable. Perhaps it’ll assist them claw their strategy to, say, a 5-12 file.
Or perhaps temperatures will proceed to rise for a group that knew it wasn’t playoff-ready however anticipated to be a minimum of competent, a group that’s now left to choose up the items amid a rapidly unraveling season.
Throughout that very same information convention, Mayo mentioned the group wanted extra from second-round choose Ja’Lynn Polk, who’s off to a gradual rookie season and coping with far too many drops. The 22-year-old receiver had zero catches on three targets and left the sport late with a head damage. Twenty minutes later, Polk posted “…” on Instagram with a peace signal.
Ja’Lynn Polk on Instagram: pic.twitter.com/qqL8iX57wh
— Chris Mason (@ByChrisMason) October 20, 2024
Within the locker room, defensive gamers had been reluctant to interrupt down their points in opposition to the run. The Jaguars outrushed the Patriots 171 yards to 38 and 4.4 yards per carry to 2.5.
“We’ve simply received to be higher,” mentioned linebacker Jahlani Tavai, whose struggles had been an enormous a part of the issue.
The Patriots knew they weren’t going to be nice in Mayo’s first 12 months, however they had been assured they might do two issues nicely: run the ball and cease the run. The remaining they might work out, they assumed.
As a substitute, the Patriots are getting uncovered in exactly these two areas, and it’s leaving them damaged and with out an identification. It’s unhealthy when rookie quarterback Drake Maye’s 18 dashing yards match the overall of Rhamondre Stevenson, the participant you simply handed a profitable contract extension to be the group’s bell-cow operating again.
In the meantime, the New England run protection was completely mauled Sunday. The Jaguars seemed throughout the road of scrimmage and noticed a group they might bully. At one level, they ran the ball 18 straight instances and on 23 of 24 performs. And there was nothing the Patriots might do to cease it. That’s how Jacksonville put collectively a demoralizing 11-minute, 24-second drive — one which ended, sarcastically, with the Pats stopping them on downs on the 6-yard line — that was the NFL’s longest possession in over two years.
That’s most likely the extra troubling space. The offense had low expectations and Maye is exhibiting sufficient progress to supply a little bit of optimism if you happen to take a look at the massive image. However the protection was alleged to be in good arms, even after Belichick’s departure, due to Mayo.
No matter first-time coordinator DeMarcus Covington is attempting hasn’t labored. So is it time for the pinnacle coach to primarily take over that facet of the ball and turn out to be the defensive play caller?
“From the place I used to be standing, even once we’re in the best name, (the gamers) will not be doing their jobs,” Mayo mentioned, making it clear the place he places the blame.
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— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 20, 2024
That’s an fascinating technique for a coach who rapidly earned a status as a gamers’ coach even when he has pushed again on that title.
On the one hand, perhaps it’s the best transfer for Mayo to place his foot down and present that it’s not going to be all popsicles and pats on the again for his gamers. On the opposite, to emphasize the purpose once more, we’re seven video games into Mayo’s tenure. That’s awfully early to be calling his group tender.
That’s why the stress goes to ramp up on Mayo and his coaches. Everybody is aware of the roster they’re working with isn’t nice. There’s separate — but deserved — criticism for de facto basic supervisor Eliot Wolf and the entrance workplace for mainly re-signing everybody from a four-win group and pondering they’d executed sufficient to resolve the offensive line. Nonetheless, the group retains making dumb errors and appears out of solutions as quickly because the opponent makes an adjustment.
The Patriots had plan out of the gate Sunday and jumped out to a 10-0 lead. They then allowed 25 consecutive factors with no clear plan for turning issues round. After the primary quarter, Alex Van Pelt’s offense felt stagnant. Covington’s protection can’t cease the run or rush the passer.
That leaves the Patriots with out an identification and caught on the backside of the league. They’re not simply shedding — they’re additionally getting blown out. They’re not simply struggling to cease the run — they’re watching the Jaguars (the Jaguars!) break information for offensive effectivity.
Solely seven video games into the tenure of their new coach, the Patriots really feel like they’re at a crossroads as a result of the man operating the present simply referred to as the entire group tender.
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(Photograph: Richard Heathcote / Getty Photographs)
