Turnovers costly as Patriots trail Jaguars 14-3 at halftime

The New England Patriots head into halftime trailing the Jacksonville Jaguars 14-3 after a sloppy second quarter turned what had been a competitive game into an uphill battle.

Drake Maye has already turned the ball over twice, with both mistakes proving costly for New England. His first turnover came in the opening quarter when he lost the ball while attempting to make a pass, setting up Jacksonville's first touchdown.

Maye's second turnover came late in the first half when Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter recorded the first interception of his NFL career. The 2025 first-round pick made an impressive play on a pass intended for Efton Chism in the end zone, jumping to come down with the football and prevent the Patriots from cutting into Jacksonville's lead.

The interception came with just over a minute remaining in the half, but New England's defense couldn't get off the field quickly enough to end the half.

A pair of Patriots penalties, followed by two completions from Trevor Lawrence, moved Jacksonville close to midfield with only seconds remaining. That gave kicker Cam Little an opportunity to attempt a 70-yard field goal as time expired.

Little's kick had enough distance but missed just to the right, allowing the Patriots to head into the locker room down 14-3.

The turnovers are becoming an increasingly concerning trend for Maye early in the 2026 season. He now has five interceptions through the first 10 quarters of the season after throwing just eight interceptions during the entire regular season last year.

Meanwhile, Lawrence has settled into a solid afternoon for Jacksonville. He enters halftime 13-of-19 for 111 yards with two touchdown passes, while rookie running back Bhayshul Tuten has added 48 yards on eight carries.

The Patriots still have 30 minutes to turn things around, but they'll need to protect the football and find a way to slow down Lawrence if they're going to avoid falling to 1-2 on the season.