Patriots at Jaguars Week 3 tracker: Injury updates, prediction, storylines and more

The New England Patriots head into Week 3 after a big win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, their first home win of the season. It was much needed after a struggle-filled performance in the Super Bowl rematch with the Seahawks in Week 1, and now they hope to follow it up with another road win this Sunday.

They're set to face a talented Jaguars team who are hoping to rebound from a frustrating loss to the Broncos, which was a bit shocking after how dominant they were in their season opener.

So that means this game could go either way, with both teams wanting to win and maybe needing that win just as badly as their opponent. It could shape the rest of their season, and for the Patriots, that could be the difference between a postseason run and a season that ends in early January.

It will be a challenging road game, as their team is dealing with a long list of injuries and an offense that doesn't seem to be playing its best just yet.

How to watch Patriots @ Jaguars in Week 3

• Date: Sunday, September 27
• Time: 1 p.m. EST
• TV Network: CBS
• Announcers: Spero Dedes (play-by-play), Adam Archuleta (analyst), and Aditi Kinkhabwala (sideline)

Last updated: Thursday, September 24 at 4:48 p.m. ET

Patriots @ Jaguars injury updates

Patriots

After last week's injury pile-up, the Patriots will be down several players against the Jaguars, most notably starting guard Mike Onwenu, who broke his ankle in the first quarter last Sunday. Safety Dell Pettus also joins him on injured reserve after leaving last week's matchup with an ankle injury.

As of Thursday afternoon, several players are deemed questionable for the game, including CB Carlton Davis, who returned to practice on Wednesday after missing last week's game, TE Eli Raridon (thigh), Dametrious Crownover (knee), Quintayvious Hutchins (knee), LB Dre'Mont Jones (shoulder), FB Reggie Gilliam (knee), and T Morgan Moses (foot).

One positive from this week's list of injuries is that special teams ace Brenden Schooler's 21-day return window was officially opened, and he can return as soon as Week 5.

Jaguars

Unlike the Patriots, the Jaguars have avoided the injury bug in their locker room and have far less to worry about going into this matchup.

As of Thursday afternoon, they do have a few players to keep an eye on regarding their game status: RB LeQuint Allen Jr. (hip), C Robert Hainsey (elbow/groin), DT DaVon Hamilton (back), CB Christian Braswell (knee), WR Jakobi Meyers (thumb), and G Cole Van Lanen (knee).

Weather forecast for Patriots @ Jaguars

As it stands, Sunday's game will have a typical Florida day, with partly cloudy skies and 84F. Wind is expected at about 8 MPH, so it shouldn't affect the game.

Given that it is Florida, things can change rapidly, and it is going to rain and thunderstorm in the days before, so that will be something to monitor between now and Sunday afternoon.

Storylines to watch for Patriots in Week 3

Who will step in for Mike Onwenu on the offensive line?

Losing a reliable starter on the offensive line like Mike Onwenu could prove devastating for the Patriots, even if they appear to have decent depth on the roster. He was immediately replaced by veteran Greg Van Roten, who appeared to perform as well as expected against the tough Steelers' defense.

The expectation is that he will remain the starter unless his performance dips. In that case, there are talks that perhaps rookie Caleb Lomu will get some starting reps much sooner than expected, which would be a risk.

But the hope is that if the coaching staff makes that decision, it's because they're confident in his abilities. For now, we'll have to see what happens against the Jaguars on Sunday, and that will give us a clearer answer about who might be the solution in Onwenu's absence.

How will Rhamondre Stevenson bounce back after another game with a turnover?

The fumbling issue we have all come to despise with Rhamondre Stevenson unfortunately returned this past week, forcing Mike Vrabel to keep him sidelined in favor of TreVeyon Henderson for a portion of the game.

That saw the second-year running back make an explosive play right away with a 39-yard touchdown run, leaving many wondering whether this would be the end of Stevenson's starting career in New England.

Vrabel doesn't sound like he's on board with that just yet, as he emphasized how important both players are to the offense. So don't expect any changes to the starting lineup vs. the Jaguars, unless Stevenson makes more mistakes this week.

He will need to show that he can be the versatile playmaker that Drake Maye has grown to love over the past three years, while proving he can get the fumbling issue under control so it doesn't put the team in a bad position again.

Can the young defenders repeat their performance from last week?

After an impressive game in which unknown players shined against a star-studded Steelers offense, the Patriots' defense has raised expectations for the rest of the season, especially for the young up-and-comers.

That means Elijah Ponder is officially on the map after recovering a fumble and returning it for a touchdown, Gabe Jacas, who caught an interception, and Christian Elliss, who delivered the meme-worthy hit on Rodgers to set up a huge play.

They'll need that kind of performance even more if Dre'Mont Jones can't play and the offense keeps struggling. The defense can give them opportunities to get the ball back and make a play, or even just keep them in the game.

Game prediction

Both the Jaguars and the Patriots go into their Week 3 matchup at 1-1, but are coming off very different results from last weekend.

Jacksonville opened the season hot with an impressive win over the Browns, prompting many to believe they will be a big threat in the AFC this season. Unfortunately, they didn't match that kind of performance against the Broncos last Sunday, as they couldn't slow down their defense or stop an explosive offense led by Jaylen Waddle.

They could run into those same problems with the Patriots coming to town, especially if A.J. Brown were suiting up for the game. But based on how New England's defense played against the Steelers, it's fair to say Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars' offense won't have much easier time.

Prediction: Patriots 23 - Jaguars 20

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