Jags latest to follow script
the time of possession and outgained the Patriots. Well, they did the latter until you add 98 yards in penalties Jacksonville committed. That’s nearly the length of a football field … or the margin of victory when you lose by four points.
What separated these two teams is what has separated the Patriots from their peers for nearly two decades. It’s the little things.
Like Blake Bortles missing a wide-open Marqise Lee on first-and-10 from his own 10. The throw went out of bounds and on the next play Bortles was sacked and second-half field position began to tilt in the Patriots’ favor. Little by little.
“The game is never over at halftime,” Brady said. “You’ve got to go to the end.’’
Certainly you do against Belichick’s Patriots.
Jacksonville wide receiver Allen Hurns breaks his route off after 7 yards on thirdand-8 early in the fourth quarter and is tackled short of the sticks and the Jags go three-and-out immediately after linebacker Myles Jack stole the ball from Dion Lewis for what should have been a critical turnover.
It was the kind of play that can change momentum for an underdog holding a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter. But when your offense responds by going three-and-out the opposite happens because five plays later the Jags defense had New England trapped in that third-and-18 situation and Amendola beat safety Tashaun Gipson for a 21-yard catch. Amendola didn’t hook up at 17. He knew what he needed to do. And he did it.
“That play kind of gave them momentum,’’ Gipson admitted. “I’m a better player than to give up a thirdand-18. Nine times out of 10 I like myself to make that play.’’
But nine times out of 10 don’t count. The only one that counts was the 10th and he didn’t make it. Amendola did.
Why is this? Why, time and again do the Patriots make the plays and their opponents do not? Why does a defense that was best in the league in defending the red zone give up two touchdowns in that area in the final quarter? Maybe one reason is deciding to run a kickoff back from the goal line and getting stuffed at your own 16 instead of downing the ball in the end zone and starting at your 25? Might that have contributed to the fact Jacksonville’s final two drives of the game began at its 16 and 10, the latter resulting in a punt that gave the Patriots the ball at the Jags 30 to begin the winning drive?
Why do the little things add up for the Patriots and not for their opponents? Devin McCourty isn’t sure but he has an idea.
“It’s so interesting with this team,’’ McCourty explained. “Everything we have to go through that we absolutely hate, it comes back (when the pressure is highest).
“First week (James) Harrison was here he said one day, ‘More meetings?’ Bill drills us on every situation over and over. It’s not always what you want to hear. But so many times the situation comes up. When it gets tough, it’s calm for us. All week we talked about we got to play from ahead and we played from behind all game. But we kept playing.’’
Playing and waiting for the other guy to make the mistakes the Jaguars made yesterday. The ones that sent them home and the Patriots back into more meetings and a trip to Minnesota.