Patriots: 3 most concerning trap games on the 2021 schedule
By Mike Luciano
3. Week 17 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (1/2)
As the Cleveland Browns proved last year when they lost to a one-win Jets team in Week 16 team, these late-season matchups can be killer for postseason teams. With the Jaguars in year one of a lengthy rebuild, they will likely be out of it by this point, and they would like nothing more than taking down Belichick and the Pats.
Urban Meyer and Trevor Lawrence will give the Jaguars a strong foundation for the next decade, but odds are that they will likely be out of the playoff picture by the time this game comes around. The Patriots might be fighting for a postseason spot at this time, but overlooking this young squad would be a mistake in the second-to-last game of the season.
The Patriots could be in for a fight against the Jaguars
Lawrence can make every throw on the field, and the likes of DJ Chark, rookie Travis Etienne, and Laviska Shenault make up a very impressive group of skill-position players that will stretch this defense to breaking point. Lawernce will have a few more games under his belt, so he could buck the trend of rookies struggling against Belichick.
The Patriots will need to make sure that all of the games they are expected to dominate this season, and Jacksonville, on paper, shouldn’t be too much of a challenge. Having said that, Belichick has lost games like this before, and Lawrence could be enough to give New England the victory.
