The Patriots go into their Week 3 matchup in a similar position they were at this point last year; they have won one game and lost another, both of which could have easily gone the other way due to their own mistakes, and are set to face a tough opponent they hope to beat to get their season back on the right track.
This time, however, they're on the road against the Jaguars, who face a similar fate and need a win just as badly. They started the 2026 season as one of the teams to watch in the AFC, since they made the playoffs last year, and their impressive Week 1 seemed to prove it.
It all came crashing down last week with a brutal loss to the Broncos, though, and now these two motivated teams are ready to show what kind of team they really are this season and use this game to prove it.
It won't be easy, but one aspect that works in both teams favor is the officiating crew.
The Patriots have faced back-to-back games with referees who love to get involved and make the game harder with the number of flags thrown. This time around, that isn't expected with Alex Kemp and his crew, which is certainly something to look forward to in an important matchup.
The NFL put a hands-off officiating crew in charge of the Patriots' Week 3 game
In their Super Bowl rematch in Week 1, the Patriots were penalized seven times for 50 yards, while the Seahawks were flagged 10 times for 98 yards.
Things were a little better last week when the Steelers came to Foxboro, as the Patriots racked up six penalties for 31 yards and their opponents totaled five flags for a loss of 59 yards.
So far this season, Kemp and his crew have only officiated one game, which was the matchup between the 49ers and Rams in Australia, where they threw just eight flags, six of which were accepted, which is a record low for the season so far.
Looking back at how they fared during the 2025 season, Kemp and his crew were in the middle of the league, averaging 14 flags per game, the 8th-fewest.
If that is any sign of how they'll be on Sunday afternoon, then the Patriots and Jaguars will likely be allowed to play without constant penalty interruptions. Obviously, the hope is that the right calls are made, though, and that they're not so hands-off that either team is hurt because the proper penalty wasn't called.
That would become an entirely different, unwanted problem they haven't dealt with yet this season, so let's hope we don't have to revisit it regardless of the outcome of this week's game.
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