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New England Patriots: Looking at historical Week 3 destruction of Jags

By Aryan von Eicken

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Sep 27, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots kicker

Stephen Gostkowski

(3) kicks a field goal out of the hold of punter

Ryan Allen

(6) in the third quarter at Gillette Stadium. New England defeated Jacksonville 51-17. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

The New England Patriots destroyed the Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday and they really beat them in all aspects of the game. During this destruction, Tom Brady and Stephen Gostkowski both put up major milestones during this win. This win gives the Patriots a lot of confidence heading into their bye week in which they will look to get healthy and improve even more after three very good performances to open the season.

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The Patriots offense was literally unstoppable this Sunday, as they scored on every single offensive possession they had during this game. Brady led the way by throwing for 358 yards, two touchdowns and posting a QBR of 118.1. Brady really spread the wealth completing passes to nine different receivers on the day. He really didn’t make any big mistakes outside of the interception that got called back because of a pass interference penalty.

Rob Gronkowski only had four catches but those four catches added up to 103 yards, as he torched the Jacksonville secondary. Edelman was his same old self once again as he was Brady’s go to guy. The rest of the receivers all made small impacts that together added up making a big one. Dobson disappointed, as he had one drop in the end zone and almost had another, but that was saved by a fortunate pass interference call.

Sep 27, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots running back

LeGarrette Blount

(29) drives the ball for a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second half at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots defeated the the Jacksonville Jaguars 51-17. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The running game also had a lot of success as Lewis was elusive as ever forcing a slew of missed tackles, and the Patriots used LaGarette Blount to run the time off the clock and he did a very good job with that by scoring three times and rushing for 78 yards. Once again the offensive line looked great and especially the rookies continue to impress. They only gave up two sacks and most of the time the run defense dominated the Jaguars defensive line, not allowing much penetration.

On defense the Patriots also played well. The pass rush wasn’t as effective as last week, but they still were able to force Bortles to force throws and make mistakes. Jamie Collins had a great game getting another sack and also making some big tackles. The run defense as a whole looked a lot better than in past weeks as they held the Jaguars to a combined 2.9 yards per attempt. They did seem to be vulnerable to rushes after the Jaguars had some success spreading the field.

Sep 27, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots free safety

Devin McCourty

(32) intercepts a pass by Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback

Blake Bortles

(5) (not pictured) in the second quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The pass defense was very successful as well. To me, Devin McCourty was the best Patriot on the defensive side this week by constantly surprising Bortles with great anticipation and he was very close to getting a second interception and simply had a great game. Butler was very solid in coverage for most of the game, but he did let an interception go through his hands and also let Allen Hurns burn him for a big score. Overall the secondary looked solid, as it forced Bortles to make near perfect throws for most of his completions.

Two Patriots reached two big milestones this Sunday. Tom Brady has become the fourth quarterback in NFL history to throw for 400 passing touchdowns, though Drew Brees will join that club soon enough. Brady simply played a great game and his 400th touchdown pass to Danny Amendola capped off a great day. I bet Brady was a bit surprised to see Amendola simply give the ball away into the stands. Gostkowski also set a record by kicking the most consecutive extra points in the NFL history. Since the extra point has been moved back, this record could stand forever.

New England’s destruction of the Jaguars was a thing of beauty, but everyone knows they will work on returning from their bye week in an even better shape. There weren’t many flaws, but Belichick will look to fix any small ones that he finds which is why the Patriots are so good. The Patriots will obviously face tougher tasks than the Jacksonville Jaguars, but they looked extremely impressive this week and in past weeks and as long as they stay healthy, they will be hard to beat.

Next: What have been the best games of Tom Brady's career?

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