Jaguars steamrolling over Patriots prompts Jerod Mayo to make harsh postgame remarks

The Jacksonville got a much-needed win when they beat the New England Patriots 32-16 in Week 7. They now sit at 2-5 and have a bit of breathing room. Meanwhile, the Pats find themselves wondering what went wrong. Their head coach has a good idea.

Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo met with the press corps after the loss and was upfront about the reason his team lost: "We're a soft football team across the board."

Mayo isn't wrong. New England was the 21st defense against the run entering the game. While they were far from a defensive juggernaut, they had a respectable unit. Yet, they couldn't stop Tank Bigsby from running amok throughout the game.

The former Auburn Tiger toted the rock 26 times for 118 yards with two touchdowns. However, that's not the sole reason Mayo brought his team's toughness into question. Late in the game and with a nine-point lead, the Jags went with nearly 20 consecutive run plays and ended up eating up a good chunk of the clock in the process.

Even after New England scored a touchdown to make it 25-16, the Jags stayed committed to running the ball. That was only possible because the Patriots had no answer to their rushing attack.

It's also worth noting that Jacksonville kept pounding the ball, not because Trevor Lawrence was having a bad day, but rather because the Patriots couldn't stop them. The fourth-year quarterback completed 75 percent of his passes for 193 yards with one touchdown.

After the game, head coach Doug Pederson had high praise for Bigsby, pointing out that he's made the most out of his opportunities when called upon.

"He's done a really good job for us, going into the season, behind TJ. He's earned the right to be out there. He's earned an opportunity. And he did a nice job today, ran hard, ran tough, as they say, ran behind his pads. The offensive line did a great job for him, tight ends blocking and things of that nature. But he did the rest. I think he had, we're over 100 yards again today, and just a great effort.

As Pederson noted, the offensive line also deserves recognition, especially when you take into account that they didn't miss a beat despite the fact that left tackle Cam Robinson left the game with a concussion. Besides paving the way for Bigsby, they gave Trevor Lawrence ample time to throw throughout.

The Jaguars should be encouraged about Tank Bigsby and the team's physicality in Week 7

In a season in which not many things have gone their way, the Jacksonville Jaguars should be encouraged by the physicality they displayed against the New England Patriots. While the win was far from perfect, the Jags showed that they can come through when their back is against the wall.

Now, beating the Patriots doesn't mean that the Jaguars are suddenly a playoff team, but they should at least be encouraged and incentivized to keep playing hard even though they're a long shot to make the playoffs. Moreover, head coach Doug Pederson can take a much-needed deep breath. At least for a week, his job security won't dominate the conversation.

The bottom line is that the Jacksonville Jaguars showed in Week 7 that they haven't thrown in the towel. Head coach Jerod Mayod and the New England Patriots witnessed it firsthand.

More Jaguars analysis here: