Jaguars Rout Patriots 35-6 as Drake Maye Struggles
The Jacksonville Jaguars routed the defending AFC champion New England Patriots 35-6 on Sunday in Jacksonville. The Week 3 loss on September 27, 2026 dropped New England to 1-2. Quarterback Drake Maye committed three turnovers in the defeat.
Maye finished 14-of-25 for 199 yards with no touchdowns, two interceptions, three sacks and a lost fumble The Guardian. An interception is a pass caught by the defense. A sack is when the quarterback is tackled behind the line before he can throw. He fumbled — lost the ball — twice in all and was pulled in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach ESPN.
The key miss came late in the first half. Trailing 14-3 with under a minute left, New England faced third-and-goal and Maye threw into the end zone. Cornerback Travis Hunter intercepted it and Jacksonville kept control from there.
Trevor Lawrence threw three touchdown passes for Jacksonville. The Jaguars turned a one-score game into a 29-point rout. New England never found the end zone.
The rough start is striking because Maye was so steady a year ago. He finished as the 2025 NFL MVP runner-up, the award for the league's most valuable player, and led the NFL in completion percentage, which measures how often passes are caught The Guardian. He threw eight interceptions in 17 regular-season games in 2025. He has six interceptions in just three weeks in 2026.
Last season's playoff run showed some of these cracks. Across four postseason games, Maye threw six touchdowns with four interceptions, fumbled seven times and took 21 sacks. That stretch still ended with New England as AFC champions, winners of the American Football Conference, entering this season Yahoo Sports.
The flashes are still there. In the Week 2 win over Pittsburgh, Maye connected on passes of 29, 29, 30 and 63 yards NFL.com. That victory evened New England's record before Sunday's trip to Florida. The Jaguars took that momentum away early and never gave it back.
What makes this stand out is the contrast. A year ago, Maye protected the ball better than almost anyone. For fans, this means the next few weeks are about reset, not panic: cleaner decisions, better protection, and a chance to steady a 1-2 team with most of the season still ahead.
