Thomas, the No. 23 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, caught five passes for 89 yards and one touchdown. He caught a two-point conversion following Washington’s punt return to give the Jaguars a 22-10 halftime lead.
“There has been a lot of emphasis on sticking together and playing for one another,” Thomas said. “We didn’t have the start we maybe wanted, but we kept playing and stuck together.”
The Jaguars scored 25 consecutive points after trailing 10-0 early in the second quarter.
“Nobody was like, ‘Here we go again’ or had negative thoughts,” Pederson said. “It was just one play at a time to work ourself back in it. We showed the complimentary aspect of the game today in all three phases. That’s the spark that hopefully can get this thing going.”
Bigsby rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries, and the Jaguars outrushed New England 171-38. The Jaguars had a 364-295 total yardage advantage for the game.
“We ran the ball great today,” Lawrence said. “That always helps.”
Bigsby’s four-yard run with 1:41 remaining gave the Jaguars their final margin.
Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye completed 26 of 37 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
The Jaguars registered no takeaways and two sacks Sunday, giving them two defensive takeaways for the season with 15 sacks. Linebacker Devin Lloyd registered a first-quarter sack and defensive end Travon Walker sacked Maye just before the two-minute warning to force fourth-and-26 from the Patriots 10.
Maye threw incomplete from there to clinch the Jaguars’ victory.
Maye threw incomplete from there to clinch the Jaguars’ victory, a victory that came a week after a one-sided loss to the Chicago Bears at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
“We just needed to win a game,” Pederson said. “We love coming over here, but it didn’t matter where. I’m proud of the guys, and proud of the coaches for the way we worked over here.
“It was a good way to finish this little run.”
