The New England Patriots lost 32-16 to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday, making it their sixth consecutive defeat.
First-year head coach Jerod Mayo did not mince words when speaking to the media after the game about his team’s play.
“We’re a soft football team across the board,” Mayo said.
New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo in the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in London. (Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images)
“What makes a tough football team? That’s being able to run the ball, that’s being able to stop the run and that’s being able to cover kicks. We did none of those today,” Mayo added.
The Patriots were up 10-0 after scoring on their first two drives, but that was about all the positive that came from this game, as the Jaguars answered with four scores of their own.
The Jaguars dominated the running game on both sides of the ball. The Patriots yielded 171 yards on the ground, with Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby leading the way with 26 carries for 118 yards and two touchdowns.
Bigsby revealed after the game that the Jaguars got what they expected from the Patriots.
“I felt like as we kept running the ball that the Patriots were getting tired,” Bigsby said.
“On film it shows, fourth quarter comes, third quarter comes, those guys start arm tackling. We just did what we had to do,” Bigsby added.
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Jacksonville Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby carries the ball against the New England Patriots at Wembley Stadium. (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)
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The Patriots had just 38 rushing yards of their own.
As for being able to cover kicks, the Patriots gave up a 96-yard punt return for a touchdown in the second quarter.
“I saw guys getting out-leveraged, I saw a punt down the middle of the field, which is always difficult to cover,” Mayo said. “He has a strong leg, and he outkicked his coverage, and we weren’t disciplined in our lanes.”
Mayo opened his press conference on Monday addressing the comments about being a “soft football team” he made on Sunday.
“We’re playing soft at the moment. When I say playing soft, it means stopping the run, being able to run the ball, and being able to cover kicks, which we weren’t able to do,” Mayo said.
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is sacked by the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium. (Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images)
“Now in saying that, do I think we have the guys in there that can turn this ship around? Hundred percent. But that comes through hard work and getting better each and every day,” Mayo continued.
The Patriots are 1-6, and their current losing streak of six games is their longest since 1993.
The Patriots will look to snap that losing streak when they take on the reeling New York Jets, who are losers of four straight games, on Sunday.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
