Latest lopsided loss creates 'some frustration' for Jaguars

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- The latest and greatest blowout of Jaguars coach Gus Bradley's tenure was "disappointing" and created "some frustration."

"I told the team that's a good thing and shows they're invested," Bradley said Monday.

The 51-17 debacle at New England also seemingly negated all the progress Jacksonville made a week earlier by beating Miami. It was the most points the Jaguars have allowed in a game, tied the most lopsided loss in Bradley's three seasons and showed just how far the franchise has to go to really compete with the AFC heavyweights.

"We didn't go out there and play up to our capabilities and make plays when we had opportunities," Bradley said. "We got a little bit out of character, which can happen. But we have to protect against that. I think when you start doing that, you try to make plays and you do things that are uncharacteristic that you don't do normally. That's when the score can get like it (did).

"That's a lesson for our team, for everybody to learn. Stay true to the principles. Stay true throughout and let's see what takes place."

What took place Sunday was downright ugly for the Jaguars (1-2).

The defending Super Bowl champions scored on all nine possessions, picking apart Jacksonville's depleted secondary with short passes and abusing veteran linebacker Paul Posluszny in the middle of the field.

Tom Brady completed 33 of 42 passes for 358 yards, with two touchdowns. He was sacked twice, but even those negative plays did little to slow down the Patriots (3-0).

"It's disappointing," Bradley said. "They're an extremely good team. They're precise. They know what they're doing. They have guys that are making plays for them. They're a challenging opponent."

The Jaguars knew it was a tough task. After all, they have young players on both sides of the ball and were down a number of starters.

Bradley didn't want to use the injuries as an excuse, but he acknowledged the reality of the situation.

Left tackle Luke Joeckel, tight end Julius Thomas and running back Denard Robinson sat out, and receiver Marqise Lee (hamstring) joined them on the sideline.

Defensive end Andre Branch, defensive tackle Sen'Derrick Marks, cornerback Dwayne Gratz and safety Johnathan Cyprien also missed the game. Making matters worse, safeties Josh Evans (knee) Sergio Brown (calf) left the game and did not return.

Those injuries left Jacksonville having to move backup cornerback Peyton Thompson, who started the season on the practice squad, to safety and play rookie cornerback Nick Marshall, Auburn's starting quarterback the last two seasons, down the stretch.

If Bradley had a do-over, he said he would have been more aggressive by playing tighter coverage and blitzing Brady more often.

As it was, the Patriots ended up totaling 471 yards, making 35 first downs and converting 11 of 14 third-down tries.

"Every time we went out there for one of their drives, we had the mindset that we were going to shut them down right there," Jaguars defensive end Jared Odrick said. "It was upsetting not being able to do so. I thought we'd be able to put a tourniquet on it, but we never did.

"It was mistake-free football on their behalf and taking advantage of our mistakes. Brady took full advantage of it."

Now, the Jaguars will try to regroup before playing at Indianapolis (1-2). The winner stays atop the woeful AFC South, which gives the Jags something to focus on instead the latest lopsided loss.

"It's an opportunity to stay where we're at in the division, to excel in the division, set a tone in the division," Odrick said. "You have to be able to put your energy into this so you don't miss out on this."