Perry: Pats 'bullied' by Jaguars for 'demoralizing' Week 7 loss

Perry: Pats 'bullied' by Jaguars over 'demoralizing' Week 7 loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars started promisingly for the New England Patriots, but ended in an all-too-familiar way.

The Patriots took an early 10-0 lead but allowed a whopping 22 points in the second quarter. It was all downhill from there as they lost their sixth straight game 32-16.

While New England and Jacksonville both entered Sunday's game with 1-5 records, the Jaguars appeared to be the superior team in all three phases of the game. They totaled 171 rushing yards compared to the Patriots' 38 yards. The Patriots also allowed a punt return touchdown – the longest punt return in Jaguars history – to cap off their nightmarish second quarter.

Our Phil Perry, Tom E. Curran and Ted Johnson shared their reactions to the defeat on Patriots Postgame Live.

🔊 Patriots Talk Podcast: Pats hit rock bottom as they unravel on and off the field in a loss to the Jaguars | Listen and Subscribe | Watch on YouTube

“Demoralizing. You just got bullied by one of the worst teams in the NFL,” Perry said. “That's why this game was basically a success. The Jaguars have played it 17 times in a row at one point. They averaged about 4.5 yards per carry on the day, but it felt like every time they handed it off they were in danger of breaking a big gain.

“It must have been demoralizing and discouraging. Choose the adjective you want to use for this defense and the entire team. There's nothing you can do about it at this point. There seems to be a problem with the toughness of it.” The Patriots team is currently leaving this game.

New England's defense had no answer for Jacksonville's running game. The Jags gained an 11:24 lead between the third and fourth quarters by simply running the ball down the Patriots' throats.

“It was kind of a Pop Warner performance … in terms of the mentality that the Jacksonville Jaguars used,” Curran said.

“They said, 'These guys can't stop us, we're just going to do this play over and over again.' You don't see that often in professional football. And as Phil said, it's humiliating and demoralizing when a team has to deal with the fact that they're taking an easy dive and we can't stop them.

Johnson, a former Patriots linebacker who prided himself on stuffing the run during his NFL career, agreed with his fellow analysts that New England's recent loss was demoralizing.

“That was just like the boys say, a slap in the face,” Johnson said. “Just a very disappointing game considering it was a bit of a wake-up call. You had an opponent that – really, Jacksonville just looked like they might blame their coach after they did it. “I played this year and to see the Patriots come out and just not in the Are able to play football, not stop the run…

“Considering what was at stake in this game, getting the program back on schedule after just a few embarrassing losses here recently and then seeing the game unfold the way you did is “That’s a big punch in the gut.”

Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo didn't downplay the disappointing performance. After the defeat, he criticized his team for being “soft across the board.”

New England's sixth straight loss is its longest since 1993. The Patriots will look to snap out of their funk next Sunday when they host the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium.

Watch the full breakdown of the Patriots' loss to the Jaguars below or on YouTube: