Sep 27, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) carries the ball after a catch as Jacksonville Jaguars defensive back Peyton Thompson (25), outside linebacker Dan Skuta (55), and middle linebacker Paul Posluszny (51) defend in the third quarter at Gillette Stadium. New England defeated Jacksonville 51-17. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports
An inability to deal with New England tight end Rob Gronkowksi early in the game helped set the tone for Jacksonville's 51-17 loss to the Patriots on Sunday.
During New England's first possession of the game, quarterback Tom Brady found Gronkowski for a 10-yard pass and then immediately went back to him on the next play for a 43-yard gain. That helped set up the Patriots' first touchdown and they never looked back from there.
"We needed to have good communication and get lined up," Jaguars middle linebacker Paul Posluszny said, per the Florida Times-Union. "Then, in the first series of the game, we don't do that. We don't get lined up and we leave the elite tight end in the league open, which is something that cannot happen."
The Pro Bowl tight end finished the day with four catches and a game-high 101 yards.
"It was just a miscommunication that we can easily fix," Posluszny said. "But, there has got to come a point where we stop saying that to you guys and we make these plays happen and we do the right things on the field."
Gronkowski also burned the Jacksonville secondary for receptions of 27 and 21 yards later in the game.
"Him and Tom Brady have that chemistry," Jaguars free safety James Sample said.
"They were getting it going. We had a game plan and stuck to it. We just couldn't make the plays to stop them."
While Gronkowski notched the 17th 100-yard game of his career, Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley said he didn't think his defense did all that badly, considering the challenge.
"I thought we did a fairly decent job against him," Bradley said.
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