On Sunday, the big play was a 58-yard completion from Lawrence to first-rounder Brian Thomas Jr. The Pats are in base defense and call a pretty exotic coverage on second down. It appears they’re in an inverted cover-two structure, where the defense spins after the snap, with the outside corners dropping into half-field zones to split the deep part of the field. The Jags run a deep post with a second-level dig route, and Gonzalez is in a tough spot dropping into a split-safety role while BTJ runs a deep post.

Along with the Jags catching the Pats on some of their schemed pass defenses, it’s also troubling that New England managed only two pressures on 20 drop-backs. Lawrence got rid of the ball in 2.41 seconds on average. But the only pressures were logged by DT Daniel Ekuale and on a blitz by Marcus Jones, where the pass rush lost contain on an 11-yard scramble by Lawrence that converted a third-and-8.

It’s impossible to point the finger at any one thing with the defense. However, it does feel like opposing play-callers are timing up their shot plays consistently well against the Patriots defense.

5. Rhamondre Stevenson Returns, But the Run Game is Still Inconsistent

Despite lead-back Rhamondre Stevenson returning, the Patriots run game was stifled for 20 rushing yards on 12 attempts by running backs on Sunday.

After leading the team in rushing last week, Maye tied Stevenson with a team-high 18 rushing yards – that’s not how the Patriots want to play offense. The Pats have said they want to be a run-first team that works play-action off their run game. However, OC Alex Van Pelt’s offense hasn’t found that marriage. The run game was rolling early in the year, but the passing game struggled. Now, it’s the run game that isn’t effective.

Speaking to Patriots.com following the game, starting right tackle Mike Onwenu felt like the Jags were blitzing off the backside on their outside zone schemes. As Onwenu said, we’ll need to watch the film to see why New England is struggling to run the ball. But the Pats highest-paid lineman is a microcosm of things right now on the offensive line.

Onwenu started this game at right tackle after two straight starts at right guard. Due to injuries and lack of performance, the Pats started their seventh different line combination in as many weeks. Without continuity, it’s difficult to consistently execute combination blocks on a rhythmic play like outside zone, which takes time to take hold chemistry-wise.

The Patriots offense has become one-dimensional in the other direction, with Maye sparking the passing game to see the rushing attack take a step back.

6. On a Positive Note, the Pass Protection Stats Look Good for the Offensive Line

Although we’ll need to review the film, another silver lining based on the initial charting data was that the Patriots only allowed a 33.3% pressure rate in Sunday’s loss to Jacksonville.

The Jaguars came into Sunday’s game with the 30th-ranked pass rush in the NFL, so the Jags aren’t a high-pressure defense. Still, it was better for the Patriots blockers in that regard. A few three-man stunts got home, which has been a consistent problem. But the one-on-one blocking seemed to hold up somewhat well this week.

Here are the initial pressure stats via Pro Football Focus: Sidy Sow (three hurries), Layden Robinson (two), Trey Jacobs (two), Michael Jordan (two), Ben Brown/Mike Onwenu (one).

7. Rookie WR Ja’Lynn Polk’s Inconsistencies, Pop Douglas’s Illness, Etc.

As for the Patriots skill players, second-rounder Ja’Lynn Polk continues to have ups and downs in his rookie season. Polk had multiple passes go off his hands and slipped coming out of his break on a two-point conversion that should’ve been converted. In his defense, it appeared that Polk dropped a pass in the first half, but Maye placed the ball on his inside shoulder rather than into the sideline. The ball placement on the corner route vs. cover two allowed the safety to make a play on the body, and Polk couldn’t hang on through contact.

Patriots wideout DeMario Douglas was also battling an illness throughout this one. Douglas only played 17 snaps (31.5%) due to being under the weather, which was a massive blow to the offense after his career performance last week. Overall, it’s fair to say the Patriots need more from Polk, whom they selected 37th overall in last April’s draft.

8. Special Teams Allow 96-Yard Punt Return, First Since 2015 Season

The last time the Patriots allowed a punt return touchdown was nearly a decade ago. After punter Bryce Baringer boomed one inside the JAX 5, Washington got loose when the coverage couldn’t get down there in time. Coach Mayo said he saw poor leverage by the coverage players but pointed to Baringer out-kicking his coverage down the middle of the field. The coverage unit cannot allow a 96-yard return, especially on a 66-yard punt. But the Pats HC felt like the punter was also to blame for the big return.