The New England Patriots could be the deadliest looking team in all of the National Football League, at the moment. In one of the most controversial off-seasons ever in 2015, quarterback Tom Brady was caught in a fire of allegations of deflating footballs in the AFC Championship against the Indianapolis Colts. It could have been Jimmy Garoppolo at the helm for the Patriots, but the Michigan quarterback went into Federal Court not wanting to go down without a fight. Now, with 754 passing yards, a 69.2% completion rate, and 7 passing touchdowns in two games with wins against two highly rated teams going into the 2015 season in the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills, the Jacksonville Jaguars will be going to Foxboro, Massachusetts, in which could be described to be a veil of fire Sunday, as what many will call to be a "revenge tour" for the Patriots and their fans.
The Jaguars, like the Patriots, are coming off a victory against an AFC East team with a 23-20 home win against the Miami Dolphins. Jags quarterback Blake Bortles arguably had the best game of his career, highlighted by a 2 touchdown performance with a 57.3 completion rate and 273 yards. However, this game might be the biggest testament of where the Jaguars are at in the league, with one of the toughest places to play as a visitor, in New England. However, the second year quarterback looks to be up for the challenge Sunday.
"I'm not playing against Tom Brady, I'm playing against the New England defense and that's all I am worried about." Blake Bortles said in a press conference Wednesday.
For the Jaguars, the toughest test on Sunday will be on the defensive side of the ball, however. With Tom Brady, comes his weapons. Of course the biggest worry out of any team game-planning against New England is tight end Rob Gronkowski. The dominant tight end is Brady's number one target and has 4 touchdowns to show for it in the first two games of the 2015 season. If Gronk is not going to get the passes, you might have Julian Edelman lined up in the slot position catching out of designed quick routes to beat down on an opposing defense.
Many should believe that the only way that the Jaguars have a chance to win the game Sunday would be to keep up the scoring that Tom Brady will do. After a big game from wide receiver Allen Robinson, with 6 catches, 145 yard, and 2 touchdowns, it seems that the team has the potential to find the capability of handling a shoot-out. However, the team is still unproven against the highest quality teams in the league. The team's defense, however, proved to be the team's biggest asset in keeping the team in each of the first two games of the 2015 season, only allowing 20 points in each of the first two games of the season. They also allowed the fifth-fewest rushing yards in the league against two very good running backs in Jonathan Stewart and Lamar Miller. While New England Patriots running back Dion Lewis' speed impressed in the first two games, his ball control with two lost fumbles already causes worries with the team, as they get playoff hero Legarrette Blount back from suspension in breaking the NFL's substance abuse policy.
With the weapons the New England Patriots can boast on offense, the Jaguars are going to be without some key players for another game. Again, the team will be without both tight end Julius Thomas, with the Jaguars still having not completing a pass to a tight end this season, and defensive tackle Sen'Derrick Marks. However, the team might miss more starters to the occasion with offensive guard Brandon Linder, who injured his left shoulder on practice Wednesday, strong safety Johnathan Cyprien, and left tackle Luke Joeckel.
The odds are against the team this Sunday. From the hostile crowd to the intimidation of Bill Belichick on the sidelines and Rob Gronkowski on the field, how could the Jaguars possibly think of a win Sunday? The Patriots are looking like a team on a mission, even after they won it all last season. Gus Bradley and the team played angry last week with something to prove, and this week is no different. Many media outlets, from local Boston media outlets to national media will call this a cupcake match-up for the Patriots. The Jags might be going out to Gillette Stadium as both wounded men and the major underdog, but that's how they like it.