Jacksonville Jaguars

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye had an unusual moment on Sunday, when he cocked his arm to throw and his hand came forward without the ball in it.

After the game, Maye had an unusual explanation for it.

"[Center] Jared [Wilson] happened to be bleeding on his hand,” Maye said. “Got the football and was trying to put one to [receiver] Kyle [Wiliams]. And [it] slipped out of my hand.”

It’s a twist on Brucie from The Longest Yard, when he attributed his lost grip on the ball to just eating popcorn. Either way, Patriots fans were likely choking on their popcorn while watching Maye’s latest performance.

The Patriots are now 1-2. And they face the Bills in Buffalo next weekend.

Jaguars head coach Liam Coen’s talk about giving Travis Hunter more to do in Week 3 didn’t result in a major change to his role, but the 2025 first-round pick was able to check off one career milestone.

Hunter had the first interception of his NFL career while playing cornerback late in the first half. Hunter snagged a pass from Patriots quarterback Drake Maye to wide receiver Efton Chism in the end zone to keep the Jaguars up 14-3.

The Jags went on to win 35-6 and Hunter, who also had four tackles, was asked after the game if it was a relief to finally get his first pick.

“A little bit,” Hunter said. “Interceptions are great to catch, but I was focused on winning the game and just continue to focus on the next play.”

Hunter played five offensive snaps at wide receiver during the game and did not have a catch, but his hands served him well in his other role.

The Jaguars won in a laugher against the Patriots on Sunday and that made it much easier to laugh about an odd choice that Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence made in the fourth quarter of the game.

Lawrence ran through the Patriots defense and had no one between him and the end zone when he took a knee on the 1-yard-line to stop at a 15-yard run for a first down. Had that play come with a minute or so left, Lawrence would be hailed for his smart move but there was a bit more time on the clock this week.

Quite a bit more time, actually. Lawrence took his knee with eight minutes left to play and running back Bhayshul Tuten took care of the final yard on the next play to give the Jags their final points in a 35-6 win.

“I’m trying to help support the Bhayshul Tuten fantasy people out there,” Lawrence said on CBS after the game.

Lawrence gave a bit more of an explanation at his postgame press conference. He said making plays like that to kill clock are something the Jaguars talk about in games and he realizes it was probably overkill to do it with so much time left on the clock.

“Probably was unnecessary there, just trying to use as much clock as possible,” Lawrence said. “They used a timeout after that. Trying to give them as few chances as possible to get back in the game. If you get into the analytics, people will probably be all over it online I’m sure. Probably wasn’t the best decision, but we scored the next play.”

Lawrence’s fantasy owners might take issue with the choice, but it was greeted with laughter in most other quarters.

If you weren’t wondering what’s wrong with Patriots quarterback Drake Maye before Week 3, he gave you plenty of reasons for concern against the Jaguars.

Maye dropped the ball while starting to throw for a first half turnover and he threw a pair of interceptions later in the game. The Jaguars picked up a pair of touchdowns off those turnovers and cruised to a 35-6 win over the defending AFC champions.

Maye had four interceptions in the first two weeks of the season and he’s now just two away from matching his total for the entire 2025 season. Maye was also sacked three times as the Patriots fell to 1-2 and he was pulled in favor of Tommy DeVito once the game was safely in hand for Jacksonville.

It’s unlikely that Mike Vrabel is considering any change like that on a permanent basis, but questions will start coming if Maye can’t right the ship in a hurry. The Patriots will be in Buffalo next weekend and a 1-3 start would leave them with a lot of work to do in order to return to the postseason.

Liam Coen has no such concerns with Trevor Lawrence, although it will be interesting to hear Lawrence’s explanation for a strange play in the fourth quarter. Lawrence broke free on a scramble and had an easy touchdown before deciding to take a knee just outside the end zone. Letting the clock run out would have made sense, but there were eight minutes left in the game and running back Bhayshul Tuten wound up getting the touchdown one play later.

Lawrence was 19-of-29 for 182 yards and three touchdowns. Tuten ran 15 times for 73 yards as the Jaguars didn’t need to do much more than execute competently on a day when the Patriots were unable to do that.

The Jaguars will take their 2-1 record to Cincinnati next weekend in search of their first road win of the season.

The Jaguars couldn’t hold onto a halftime lead in Denver last week, but they’ll get a chance to try to do a better job of it at home this Sunday.

Travis Hunter made that task a little easier at the end of the first half. The 2025 first-round pick had the first interception of his NFL career when he jumped to snag a Drake Maye pass to wide receiver Efton Chism in the end zone with just over a minute to play in the second quarter.

A pair of Patriots penalties and a pair of Trevor Lawrence completions got the Jags near midfield in the final seconds of the half. That allowed them to try a Cam Little field goal from 70 yards, but it was just off to the right so it remains 14-3 at halftime.

Maye has now turned the ball over twice in Sunday’s game as he also lost the ball while trying to pass in the first quarter. He has five interceptions in the first 10 quarters of the season after throwing eight in the regular season last year.

The first Patriots turnover led to Jacksonville’s first touchdown and Trevor Lawrence wound up with two touchdown passes in the second quarter. He is 13-of-19 for 111 yards overall and Bhayshul Tuten has added 48 rushing yards on eight carries.

The Jaguars are out to a 7-0 lead in their bid to bounce back from last Sunday’s loss to the Broncos.

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence drilled a 12-yard strike to wide receiver Josh Cameron for a touchdown with 13:25 left to play in the first half in Jacksonville. The score capped a 10-play, 62-yard drive that began after Patriots quarterback Drake Maye’s latest miscue.

Maye was starting to throw a pass in Jaguars territory when the ball slipped out of his hand without any contact and Jaguars defensive lineman Davon Hamilton fell on the ball for a turnover. It’s the first lost fumble of the season for Maye, but he has thrown four interceptions.

The teams traded punts on the first three possessions and the Jags will look to keep the defensive pressure at a high level now that they’re playing with a lead.

Bills wide receiver DJ Moore hurt his shoulder in a Week 2 win over the Lions, but he had more than a week to recover from the injury and that was enough time for him to get cleared for action.

Moore is active for the Bills as they try to move to 3-0 on the season at home against the 0-2 Chargers. The Bills will also get defensive tackle Ed Oliver back in the lineup. Oliver missed the Lions game after injuring his hip in pregame warmups and was listed as questionable along with Moore and wide receiver Keon Coleman.

Coleman is also active for Buffalo while backup quarterback Trey Lance is active for the Chargers. DJ Uiagalelei was summoned from the practice squad as insurance after Lance was listed as questionable, but there will be no change behind Justin Herbert.

Chargers at Bills

Chargers: S Elijah Molden, QB DJ Uiagalelei, OL Alex Harkey, G Kayode Awosika, TE Charlie Kolar, WR Brenen Thompson, DT Dalvin Tomlinson

Bills: WR Skyler Bell, OL Jude Bowry, OL Ar’maj Reed-Adams, DL T.J. Sanders, LB Mike Danna, S Jalon Kilgore

Panthers at Browns

Panthers: TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, QB Haynes King, WR Xavier Legette, S Nick Scott, LB Devin Lloyd, OT Albert Reese, DT Cam Jackson

Browns: CB Tyson Campbell, QB Taylen Green, LB Justin Jefferson, C Parker Brailsford, G Teven Jenkins

Jets at Lions

Jets: WR Adonai Mitchell, DB Minkah Fitzpatrick, TE Mason Taylor, RB Kene Nwangwu, CB Nahshon Wright, K Blake Grupe, LB Kiko Mauigoa

Lions: G Ben Bartch, TE Tyler Conklin, S Bishop Fitzgerald, DL Ahmed Hassanein, LB Devin White, DL Mekhi Wingo

Texans at Colts

Texans: TE Brevin Jordan, CB Collin Wright, WR Nico Collins, G Ed Ingram, DE Jadeveon Clowney, OL Nate Thomas

Colts: WR Ashton Dulin, WR Darius Slayton, DE George Gumbs, G Dailton Tucker, RB DJ Giddens, QB Riley Leonard

Patriots at Jaguars

Patriots: S Craig Woodson, LB Dre’Mont Jones, QB Behren Morton, OT Dametrious Crownover, TE Eli Raridon, DT Leonard Taylor

Jaguars: WR CJ Williams, S Jalen Huskey, LB Jack Kiser, OL Daniel Faalele, DE Wesley Williams, DT Albert Regis

Chiefs at Dolphins

Chiefs: TE Jared Wiley, QB Garrett Nussmeier, DB Chamarri Conner, DE Jack Pyburn, OT Josh Simmons, DE Tyreke Smith

Dolphins: QB Brady Cook, WR Caleb Douglas, RB Jaylen Wright, CB Marcellus Dial, OL DJ Campbell, DL Rob Beal Jr., OL Chukweubuka Godrick

Titans at Giants

Titans: OL Atonio Mafi, DL Jackie Marshall, OL Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, TE Kylen Granson, DB Jaylon Jones, RB Michael Carter

Giants: RB Devin Singletary, TE Thomas Fidone, OL J.C. Davis, DL Josh Tupou, DL Bobby Jamison-Travis, CB Deonte Banks, S Tyler Nubin

Bengals at Steelers

Bengals: CB Josh Newton, C Connor Lew, OT Myles Hinton, TE Jack Endries, DT BJ Hill, DT Landon Robinson

Steelers: RB Rico Dowdle, QB Drew Allar, QB Will Howard, CB Joey Porter Jr., RB Eli Heidenreich, DT Kevin Jobity Jr., DT Gabriel Rubio

Seahawks at Commanders

Seahawks: S Julian Love, S Ty Okada, DT Brandon Pili, QB Jalen Milroe, WR Montorie Foster, CB Avery Smith, LB Connor O’Toole

Commanders: QB Jayden Daniels, LB Frankie Luvu, LB Javontae Jean-Baptiste, G Sam Cosmi, TE Chig Okonkwo

Back in May, Colorado coach Deion Sanders expressed disappointment that he hadn’t heard from the Jaguars regarding how to coach, and how to deploy, cornerback/receiver Travis Hunter. Two games into Hunter’s second NFL season, Coach Prime remains perplexed about Hunter’s workload.

“I don’t ask questions because I’m not there,” Sanders said recently on his CBS Colorado show. “I don’t know what transpires when we’re not looking. I have no idea what’s going on. I know who he was and who he is right now. I know what he’s capable of. I do know that.”

In Week 1, Hunter got four snaps on offense and 29 on defense. He had one catch for eight yards.

In Week 2, Hunter had six snaps on offense and 37 on defense. He wasn’t targeted in the Jacksonville passing game.

The lack of usage for a player who entered the league with the promise of being the first true full-time two-way player since Chuck Bednarik has sparked plenty of questions. Earlier this week, coach Liam Coen said the team will be looking at giving him more reps this week, on both sides of the ball.

Asked on Friday whether Hunter has spoken to coaches about the rotation at cornerback this week, Hunter opted for discretion.

“I’m gonna leave that up to the coaches to answer,” Hunter said. “That ain’t for me to answer.”

In an appearance on The Pivot podcast before the start of the regular season, Hunter reiterated his belief that he can reach his full potential as a cornerback and as a receiver.

Ryan Clark told Hunter that he could be a Hall of Fame cornerback or a Pro Bowl-caliber receiver. But Clark’s implicit message was clear — it’s impossible to be both. How can Hunter accomplish it?

“Work ethic,” Hunter said. “We all get the same 24 hours.”

Channing Crowder pressed Hunter on his effort to use that 24 hours to do both at the highest possible level. “The numbers don’t work out,” Crowder said.

“If I’m trying to be the best — how are you gonna be the best, if you ain’t trying to be the best? If you ain’t trying to compete and do the best to be the best? So my main focus is be the best. So I’m gonna do everything I can do to be the best. I don’t want to be the best at one position. There’s a lot of people that’s the best at one position. Ain’t nobody yet been the best at both, full-time.”

For now, Hunter has played on a part-time basis on defense, with cameo appearances on offense. What’s his preference?

“I like doing both,” Hunter said. “And I cannot sit on the sideline. I don’t think nobody’s noticed that yet. I hate the sidelines. I do not wanna sit there. I can’t sit there and just watch football. I’ve got to be on the field.”

Clark pointed out that 52 other guys spend time on the sidelines. “That’s their problem,” Hunter said.

He was smiling when he said it, but there’s no escaping his point. Hunter still wants to play on a full-time basis on both sides of the ball. But he’s playing so little on each side of the ball that the snaps don’t add up to the amount of time he’d be getting if he played all snaps on offense or all snaps on defense.

It’s still not clear what the Jaguars are doing with the player whom they moved up from No. 5 to No. 2 in the draft to get, with the justification that they’d be getting two players in one. At some point, the idea of a two-way player has yielded to the reality that, as Crowder said, the numbers don’t work out. It’s too hard to be fully and completely prepared to perform at a high level on both offense and defense.

And it’s almost as if the Jaguars want Hunter to come to the conclusion on his own that he’ll accept playing one side of the ball or the other in order to get a full-time workload at one speciic position.

Still, if the Jaguars weren’t prepared to let Hunter do what he clearly wants to do (and he surely made his point clear to them before the draft), why did they give up so much to make him the second overall pick in the draft?

That’s the most confounding aspect of this. Everyone knew Hunter wanted to play both ways. The decision to trade up to get Hunter sent a message that the Jaguars were on board with that approach. The numbers, to date, paint a far different picture.

The Patriots will officially be without one of their key defenders on Sunday.

New England has ruled out linebacker Dre’Mont Jones for the Week 3 matchup against Jacksonville.

Jones did not practice all week with a shoulder injury.

Linebacker Quintayvious Hutchins (knee) was also ruled out for the contest.

Safety Craig Woodson (shoulder) and tight end Eli Raridon (thigh) are both questionable for the game. Raridon was limited on Wednesday and didn’t practice on Thursday or Friday. Woodson went the other way, not practicing on Wednesday or Thursday while being limited on Friday.

Safety Brenden Schooler (back) was limited all week as he returns from the NFI list.

Offensive tackle Morgan Moses (foot), offensive tackle Dametrious Crownover (knee), cornerback Carlton Davis (neck), and fullback Reggie Gilliam (knee) are all off the injury report and are set to play.

The Patriots remained without a couple of their defensive starters at Thursday’s practice.

Linebacker Dre’Mont Jones (shoulder) and safety Craig Woodson (shoulder) missed practice for the second straight day. The Patriots also worked without linebacker Quintayvious Hutchins (knee) and tight end Eli Raridon (thigh) moved from limited participation to the sideline.

Fullback Reggie Gilliam (knee), right tackle Morgan Moses (foot), and safety Brenden Schooler (back) were limited participants. Offensive tackle Dametrious Crownover (knee), cornerback Carlton Davis (neck), and defensive tackle DaQuan Jones (not injury related) fully participated in practice.

The Patriots will issue injury designations for Sunday’s game against the Jaguars after their Friday practice.