The Patriots historically have made life difficult for rookie quarterbacks, and ESPN believes that trend will carry out Sunday afternoon.
Mac Jones is set to be pitted against fellow 2021 first-round pick Trevor Lawrence, who will lead the Jaguars into Foxboro for a Week 17 showdown. Jags reporter Mike DiRocco is expecting a long day for the Clemson product, who could be on the turf quite a bit.
"The Patriots will sack Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence eight times," DiRocco wrote. "Even if pass-rusher Matthew Judon (12.5 sacks) doesn't get off the reserve/COVID-19 list in time to play, it'll be a rough day for Lawrence. The Jaguars' offensive line is decimated by COVID-19, with right tackle Jawaan Taylor the only starter (as of Thursday) who is not on the reserve list. While there's a chance that left guard Andrew Norwell, center Brandon Linder and right guard Ben Bartch could be back, they will have missed the whole week of practice.
Unfortunately for Lawrence, Judon was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday. Norwell, too, has been cleared from the league's protocol, but Linder and Bartch are set to be inactive Sunday.
Eight sacks, even with the state of Jacksonville's O-line, might be a tad ambitious. New England's single-game high for sacks this season is five.
