The New England Patriots are 1-2 on the season after suffering a 35-6 Week 3 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was an ugly outing for the club, as the offense couldn't get anything going whatsoever. Mike Vrabel switched things up with the offensive line late in the game, giving rookie Caleb Lomu a chance to prove himself against Jacksonville.
During the postgame press conference, Vrabel explained that he subbed Lomu in for Morgan Moses to ensure the club's 2026 first-round pick gets some opportunities to play, according to Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald. While some questioned whether or not Moses was dealing with an injury, it turns out Vrabel just wanted to see his rookie get an opportunity in what he called a lost game at that point.
“Vrabel says they pulled Moses to give Caleb Lomu some reps in what he felt was a lost game already,” Callahan reported.
Things are not going well in New England. Especially offensively. Patriots' quarterback Drake Maye has been abysmal to begin the campaign. He finished Sunday's matchup against the Jaguars with 199 yards and two interceptions while completing 56.0% of his pass attempts. Jacksonville sacked Maye three times in the game.
Even Maye was subbed out near the end, as backup Tommy DeVito also had an opportunity to play. It's hard to imagine Mike Vrabel benching his 24-year-old signal-caller at all, but things need to turn around quickly.
The Patriots will have a chance to bounce back in Week 4. New England is scheduled for a tough matchup against the Buffalo Bills on the road.