The Jacksonville Jaguars got their crack at revenge against the New England Patriots, and they took full advantage.
In what was a rematch of the AFC Championship game — a 24-20 Patriots win — it was the Jaguars coming out on top this time, 31-20.
The Jaguars outplayed the Patriots from the opening snap moving the ball up and down the field.
The Patriots were able to drive down into Jaguar territory where they were forced to kick a 54-yard field goal. Gostkowski would miss the field goal giving the Jaguars the ball at their own 44-yard line.
Quarterback Blake Bortles took control and moved the ball down the field against a Patriots defense that pressured him the whole drive.
The Patriots would lose one of their best defensive players as Trey Flowers was kicked in the head by linebacker Keionta Davis putting him on concussion protocol.
Brady and the offense couldn’t do anything with the ball and gave it back to Bortles. The UCF alum threw a pass toward the sideline where wide receiver Keelan Cole made one of the greatest catches you will ever see with a one-handed grab that he carried into his chest down the sideline.
ARE YOU KIDDING @Air4Cole?!
📺: CBS #DUUUVAL https://t.co/glLod6Oefk
— NFL (@NFL) September 16, 2018
Cole would beat cornerback Eric Rowe again for the score putting the Jaguars up 14-0.
The Patriots would take the ball upfield on an 83 yard drive that ended in disappointment for the team that came in form of a Gostkowski field goal.
The Jaguars would pick up the knife and slice through the Patriots defense taking the first half down to its final seconds where Bortles would float the pass over Patrick Chung into the hands of Austin-Seferian Jenkins for his third touchdown pass of the half. This would only be Bortles’ second time in his career that he had three first-half touchdowns as the Jaguars went into the locker room with a 21-3 lead
The Jaguars picked up right where they left off with Keelan Cole and Bortles throwing, catching and running down the field to give the team a 24-3 against the reigning AFC Champions
It appeared that the Jaguars would keep the route going until cornerback rookie wide receiver D.J. Chark got the ball stripped by Stephon Gilmore.
After a crucial run on third down by Brady, he would hand the reigns to rookie running back Sony Michel who would slash through defenders to get the Patriots inside the 10. The team’s first touchdown came on another third down with a Brady to Chris Hogan connection making the score 24-10.
The Patriots defense would force a punt giving them the ball back just inside their own territory. Brady would find James White for a huge gain but it wouldn’t amount to six points as Gostkowski was sent out to convert his second field goal of the game making the score 24-13.
The Patriots and Jaguars would exchange turnovers with an interception by Kyle Van Noy and a Yannick Ngakoue strip sack.
The Patriots got the ball back but were not able to do anything with it when Doug head coach Doug Marrone won the challenge which led to a Bortles to Dede Westbrook connection for a touchdown which in turn was the icing on the proverbial cake.
The Patriots would lethargically get back on the field and run down the clock themselves with a slow offense. It ended with a Chris Hogan’s second touchdown of the game putting the Patriots down by just 11 with less than four minutes to play.
The Jaguars would get the ball back and run down the clock to end the game and defeat the Patriots for the first time in franchise history. Bortles finished the game with four touchdown passes, while Cole had seven receptions for 116 yards and a score.
The Jaguars seemed to not only be ready physically and outplay the Patriots physically but also mentally as the team marches to an undefeated record while the Patriots tumble down the AFC East standings at 1-1.
Top Performers: Offense – 3 Defense – 0
Offense:
Sony Michel:Â The rookie made his debut and made a great first impression with great ball security and ferocious running.
Phillip Dorsett: Dorsett continued his role in the Patriots offense catching five passes tying his total last year of 12.
Chris Hogan: The Monmouth alum finally woke up after a one-catch performance last week. Hogan caught three passes for 42 yards to go along with two scores beating cornerback Jalen Ramsey on his second.
