Eight takeaways from the Patriots defeat to the Jaguars at Wembley

On Sunday, the big play was a 58-yard completion from Lawrence to first-rounder Brian Thomas Jr. The Pats are on base defense and offer some pretty exotic coverage on second down. It appears they are in a reverse cover-two structure, where the defense rotates after the snap and the outside corners drop into half-court zones to split up the deep part of the field. The Jags run a deep post with a dig route on the second level, and Gonzalez is in a tough spot, taking on a split safety role while BTJ plays a deep post.

Aside from the Jags catching the Pats with some of their planned pass defenses, it's also concerning that New England only managed two pressure attempts on 20 dropbacks. Lawrence threw the ball in an average of 2.41 seconds. However, the only pressure came from DT Daniel Ekuale and a Marcus Jones blitz that saw the pass rush lost to an 11-yard scramble by Lawrence that converted a third-and-8.

It's impossible to point the finger at anything from the defense. However, it feels like opposing playmakers consistently plan their shooting plays well against the Patriots defense.

5. Rhamondre Stevenson returns, but the running game is still inconsistent

Despite the return of lead back Rhamondre Stevenson, the Patriots' running game was disrupted on Sunday on 12 attempts by the running backs for 20 rushing yards.

After leading the team in rushing last week, Maye matched Stevenson with a team-high 18 rushing yards, which is not how the Patriots want to play on offense. The Pats have said they want to be a run-first team that relies on play-action out of their run game. However, OC Alex Van Pelt's offense hasn't found that marriage. The running game got going early in the year, but the passing game struggled. Now it's the running game that isn't effective.

Speaking to Patriots.com after the game, starting right tackle Mike Onwenu felt like the Jags were attacking from behind in their outside zone attacks. As Onwenu said, we need to watch the film to understand why New England struggles to pass the ball. But the Pats' highest-paid lineman is a microcosm of things on the offensive line right now.

Onwenu started this game at right tackle after making two straight starts at right guard. Due to injuries and lack of production, the Pats started a different line combination for the seventh time in a matter of weeks. Without continuity, it is difficult to consistently execute combination blocks in a rhythmic game such as an outside zone, which takes time to take hold chemically.

The Patriots' offense has become one-dimensional in the other direction, with Maye stimulating the passing game and causing the rushing attack to take a step back.

6. On the bright side, the pass protection stats look good for the offensive line

Although we need to watch the film again, another bright spot based on the early chart data was that the Patriots allowed just a 33.3% pressure rate in Sunday's loss to Jacksonville.

The Jaguars entered Sunday's game with the 30th-ranked pass rush in the NFL, so the Jags are not a high-pressure defense. Still, in that regard, it was better for the Patriots' blockers. A few three-man stunts came home, which was a constant problem. But the one-on-one blocking seemed to hold up reasonably well this week.

Here are the initial pressure stats from Pro Football Focus: Sidy Sow (three runs), Layden Robinson (two), Trey Jacobs (two), Michael Jordan (two), Ben Brown/Mike Onwenu (one).

7. Rookie WR Ja'Lynn Polk's inconsistencies, Pop Douglas' illness, etc.

As far as veteran Patriots players go, second-rounder Ja'Lynn Polk continues to experience ups and downs in his rookie season. Polk had several passes fall out of his hands and slipped on his break on a two-pointer that should have been converted. In his defense, it appeared Polk dropped a pass in the first half, but Maye placed the ball on his inside shoulder rather than on the sideline. The ball placement on the corner route vs. cover two allowed the safety to attack the body and Polk was unable to hold on through contact.

Patriots fullback DeMario Douglas also battled an illness in the game. Douglas played only 17 snaps (31.5%) due to the weather, which was a blow to the offense after his career performance last week. Overall, it's fair to say the Patriots need more from Polk, who they selected 37th overall in last April's draft.

8. Special teams allowed a 96-yard punt return for the first time since the 2015 season

The last time the Patriots allowed a punt return touchdown was almost a decade ago. After punter Bryce Baringer shot a boom in JAX 5, Washington became vacant because reporting couldn't get there in time. Coach Mayo said he saw poor leverage from the coverage players, but pointed out that Baringer beat his coverage in the middle of the field. The coverage unit cannot allow a 96-yard return, especially on a 66-yard punt. But the Pats HC felt the punter was also responsible for the big win.