A 35-6 loss to Jacksonville doesn't leave much room for feel-good stories, but here's one anyway: Mack Hollins is becoming Drake Maye's security blanket, and that's the kind of foundation you build a passing game on. Six catches, nine targets, 87 receiving yards—Hollins led the Patriots in all three categories Sunday. In a game where the offense was largely dismantle by the Jaguars defense, Hollins was the one consistent outlet Maye trusted to get open and move the chains.
This matters because you can't evaluate a rookie quarterback in a vacuum. Scheme fit and receiving options matter enormously. The fact that Maye gravitates toward Hollins—even with A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, and Kayshon Boutte on the roster—tells you something about how the veteran's positioning and route running have earned trust in practice and games. That's the unsexy, foundational stuff that separates functional offenses from dysfunctional ones.
Now, the taunting penalty was unnecessary and dumb. You can't give Jacksonville's defense anything extra when you're already getting housed 35-6. Discipline matters, especially for someone who's supposed to be a veteran presence. But one penalty doesn't erase what Hollins has shown early in the season: he's dependable, he understands the system, and he's available when Maye needs an outlet. In a 1-2 team looking for any spark to build around, that's not nothing.
The Patriots offense has bigger problems than receiver separation—the line play, the run game, the third-down efficiency all need fixing. But if Hollins can continue to be that reliable target while the rest of the pieces get sorted out, that's a small win worth holding onto. Some teams have spent years searching for exactly this kind of consistency from their pass catchers.