#TBT to the last Patriots-Jaguars matchup
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| Steven Senne | AP Photo |
*This article is part of a weekly Throwback Thursday Series that will feature key stat lines and short recaps of the last time the New England Patriots played their upcoming opponent.
Last Time Out…
The New England Patriots and the Jacksonville Jaguars last met on September 27, 2015 when the Patriots won in a score of 51-17 at Gillette Stadium.
New England had big-time plays that day, while Jacksonville committed big-time penalties.
For the Patriots, quarterback Tom Brady threw two touchdowns to get his 400th and 401st of his career; LeGarrette Blount had three 1-yard touchdown runs; Stephen Gostkowski successfully scored the extra point on all of the team’s six touchdowns to extend his streak to an NFL record 425 in a row; and Rob Gronkowski caught four passes for 101 yards.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars were flagged seven times for a total of 114 yards, including back-to-back pass interference penalties in the third quarter. The first one cost them 52 yards, and the second brought back an interception and 82-yard run. Jacksonville couldn’t get things going as quickly as they needed to, and the Patriots went on to win.
Noteworthy…
Brady joined Peyton Manning, Brett Favre and Dan Marino in the 400 TD club that day, on a one-yard pass to Danny Amendola for the score.
The Patriots’ 51 points were the most ever allowed by Jacksonville, who were banged up and struggling throughout the game. The Jags had two injured defensive backs that were inactive, and they lost three more that day.
The Stats…
Tom Brady went 33-of-42 for 358 yards and two touchdowns, Blake Bortles was 17-of-33 for 242 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
LeGarrette Blount carried the ball 18 times for 78 yards and three New England scores, while Dion Lewis had eight rushing attempts for 37 yards and another Patriots’ TD.
For Jacksonville, TJ Yeldon led the way with 11 carries and 33 yards.
For New England’s receiving efforts, Rob Gronkowski led the way with four catches for 101 yards and a long of 43. Julian Edelman caught eight passes for 85 yards. Danny Amendola and Keyshawn Martin each caught a TD pass from Brady that game.
Allen Hurns caught two passes for 70 yards and one touchdown for the Jaguars, while Clay Harbor hauled in three balls for 43 yards and the other Jacksonville score.
Jamie Collins led the way for the Patriots’ defense, as he notched five total tackles, including four solo and one sack. Logan Ryan and Malcolm Butler each tallied four total tackles, while Jabaal Sheard recorded the other sack for New England. Devin McCourty added a 27-yard interception.
Paul Posluszny was everywhere for the Jacksonville defense this game, as he racked up 18 total tackles, including 14 solo. Telvin Smith also had an impressive defensive day with 11 total tackles, including seven solo. Ryan Davis recorded a sack, while Roy Miller and Chris Smith each posted half a sack.
Both kickers were perfect on the day. For the Jaguars, Jason Myers was one-for-one on field goals and two-for-two on extra points. For the Patriots, Stephen Gostkowski was three-of-three on field goals and six-of-six on extra points.
And Now…
The New England Patriots will face off against the Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018 in the Patriots’ seventh straight AFC Championship Game. Game time is set for 3:05pm ET at Gillette Stadium, on the 24th anniversary of the day Robert Kraft took ownership of the team.
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