Patriots Notebook: Brady says record-setting heat wasn't a factor in loss

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — For the Patriots, Sunday’s game against the Jaguars was the hottest in the history of the franchise, and one of the hottest in recent NFL history.

The temperature at kickoff was 97 degrees. For New England, the previous high was 94 degrees at kickoff on Sept. 29, 1991 at Phoenix, a 24-10 Cardinals victory. From a leaguewide perspective, it was the first game in the NFL above 95 degrees since the Giants played at the Cowboys on Sept. 8, 2013, when the kickoff temperature was 96 degrees.

Since 2000, the Patriots have had just two games that were played in 90-degree weather – at Carolina on Sept. 18, 2005 and at the Jets on Sept. 14, 2008. The temperature at kickoff was 90 degrees in both of those games.

While New England players and coaches acknowledged the heat after the game, no one would say the temperatures were the reason behind the loss.


“You know, I actually don’t think it was that bad — at least I didn’t feel it,” said quarterback Tom Brady, who is now 0-2 in games where it’s been 90-plus at kickoff. “I mean, it was definitely warm — warmer than what we’ve had — but it was a lot like training camp this year. I think it was more the execution. (The Jaguars) executed really well; we didn’t. I think it’s really that simple, and if we want the outcomes to change, we’ve got to do things a lot differently.”

"We’ve played in games like this when it’s hot -- you can’t be out there on long drives," said veteran defensive back Devin McCourty. "It’s hot, and you don’t want to be on the field for a long time.”

Michel sees first action

Sunday marked the season debut for rookie running back Sony Michel. The Georgia product, who struggled with knee issues over the course of the summer, finished with 10 carries for 34 yards.

“It felt all right,” Michel said. “Came out with a loss, so it’s never fun when you lose. Still got more work to do.”

His highlight came when he posted a 15-yard run — the longest of the game for New England — late in the third quarter. It helped set up the first touchdown of the day for the Patriots.

“I think it was good for the team,” Michel said of the play. “I think it was a big gain for the team. But not enough to win the game.”

“Sony’s worked hard. He was limited in camp and had some opportunities today,” Brady said of the rookie. “He’ll learn from them. He ran hard when we had some chances. He has some great mentors, in James White and Rex (Burkhead), to learn from. Hopefully, he can keep building on what he’s done so far.”

Gronkowski held (mostly) in check

After a massive game against the Texans in the opener, the big tight end was held to two catches on four targets for 15 yards. (Despite some anticipation he was going to end up going head-to-head with Jacksonville cornerback Jalen Ramsey, that never really materialized.)

“It’s difficult against a team like that,” said Gronkowski. “You have to be prepared. You have to be ready and you have to find the openings. And that’s one thing I didn’t do today.”

He did square off against Ramsey on a couple of occasions.

“I just tried to get open — that’s all, no matter who it was against,” he added. “They did a good job overall as a defense. They’re fast. They covered well and were prepared. I just have to come out and play better.”

Hogan has nice afternoon

One guy who did end up seeing a lot of Ramsey was Chris Hogan, who finished with two touchdowns on three catches. “He’s great,” Hogan said of Ramsey after the game. “Any time you have an opportunity to go against one of the best corners in the league, you take on that challenge. It was really competitive out there.” … Hogan was asked about Josh McDaniels ripping into the offense in the early going. “We weren’t able to string together drives,” he said. “You can’t make mistakes against a good team like that.” … The Jaguars scored a touchdown on their opening drive, the first opening drive touchdown allowed by the Patriots since a game at the New York Jets on Oct. 15, 2017. New England had gone 11 straight games without allowing an opening touchdown drive.