Tag: Chargers vs. Patriots

What they’re saying following Chargers’ loss to Patriots

Are the Chargers being viewed as contenders or pretenders?

The Bolts now sit at 4-3 after losing 24-27 to New England on Sunday. Head coach Brandon Staley and his squad had two weeks to prepare for the matchup with the Patriots, yet despite the extra time, quarterback Justin Herbert and his offense were silenced.

Has the Chargers’ reputation gone from playoff contenders to playoff pretenders? The narrative was quite different just a few weeks ago following the Bolts’ blowout loss to the Ravens. One bad game isn’t a season-ending sort of event; however, two bad games and a pattern starts to transpire.

Let’s see what experts are saying about the Chargers after their most recent loss to the Patriots.

NBC Sports NFL Analyst Chris Simms

“Listen, I’m not ready to say LA is going to go to the playoffs yet. I’m not ready to say that. They’re going to be on the fringe. When you can’t stop the run to the capacity they can’t, they’re going to have issues against like 90% of the NFL.”

Around the NFL’s Dan Hanzus

“We’ve seen the ceiling of the Chargers’ offense this season, and it’s quite high. What surprises us is how low the floor is. The Bolts’ attack was held in neutral for the second consecutive week on Sunday, a 27-24 loss to the Patriots that raises questions about where Los Angeles truly fits into the AFC pecking order. Justin Herbert threw for just 143 yards before a garbage-time scoring drive in the final minutes, and issues with pass protection and early-down efficiency were glaring. The Chargers’ defense had its way with Patriots rookie Mac Jones and repeatedly gave the offense the opportunity to take control of the game, but Herbert and Co. couldn’t do it.”

Former NFL player Damien Woody on Sidd News

“Mike Williams wasn’t a factor in this game. Keenan Allen was held pretty much in check. Other guys weren’t able to step up. Like Tim said, they made Justin Herbert uncomfortable in the pocket. New England comes out with the victory.”

Stephen A. Smith

“If you talk to me about the Chargers meeting the Patriots in a head-to-head matchup because of Bill Bellichick’s greatness, I got you. I’m saying they’re not facing one another again until the postseason and I think the Chargers will end up getting there before the Patriots.”

Chargers WR Josh Palmer’s first NFL touchdown among few positives in loss to Patriots

Chargers WR Josh Palmer made the most of his limited action.

The Patriots defense stifled Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert on Sunday.

Heading into the final drive, Herbert completed just 12 of 26 passes for 143 yards while being down 10 points.

After taking its foot off the gas, New England allowed Herbert to scamper up the field on Los Angeles’ final offensive drive.

With 40 seconds left in the game, Herbert found rookie wide receiver Josh Palmer in the end zone. Over two defenders, Palmer showed the body control, toughness, and hands to high-point and come down with the ball.

The touchdown grab was the first of Palmer’s professional career.

“Hell of a catch. Hell of a catch,” wide receiver Keenan Allen said. “That’s the type [of] stuff we need. Especially late like that, we need a play, somebody’s gonna make one, Josh came up and made a play.

It’s big time … A ball like that, a catch like that, that’s a momentum shift. You make a catch like that; you automatically think we’re gonna get the onside kick. It was good stuff.”

Selected by the Bolts in the third round out of Tennessee, Palmer has flashed in spurts when he has been on the field. On 11 targets, he has caught seven of them for 82 yards (11.7 yards per reception).

In need of an offensive spark after stalling the past two games, Palmer could possibly see his target volume increase moving forward.

DT Justin Jones’ return gives Chargers boost in loss to Patriots

Despite Justin Jones’ return, the Chargers need to add help along the defensive line.

Even though there weren’t a myriad of highlights in the Chargers’ loss to the Patriots, the return of defensive tackle Justin Jones aided a horrid unit against the run.

Coming into Week 8, Los Angeles ranked dead-last in that category. But New England managed to average just 3.9 yards per carry with Jones back on the field.

Furthermore, the Chargers’ defense didn’t allow a single passing touchdown and allowed just a single one-yard touchdown on the ground through the first quarter.

“I felt like our run defense actually took an incredible step forward today,” head coach Brandon Staley said.

“A huge step forward, I thought we tackled extremely well, I thought we were really physical. I thought getting Justin Jones back was important. I felt like the way we played on defense today gave us a real chance to win.”

Despite struggling to get after QB Mac Jones, only pressuring him nine times, Jones led the pack with three and two hurries. In addition, he had a quarterback hit.

Safety Derwin James also commented on Jones being a key defensive player.

“Justin Jones is a big part of this team,” James said. “Having him back, I felt his energy on the first play of the game. I think it was he made a stop. It was a combination of both and everybody coming in and doing their job.”

Regardless of Jones’ return, it is still evident that the Chargers could largely benefit from another interior defender to help the group that is still susceptible to the run.

Despite pass protection problems, Chargers sticking with same offensive line combination

The Chargers are going to continue to roll with Storm Norton and Michael Schofield.

The Patriots knew that to beat the Chargers meant making quarterback Justin Herbert a non-factor.

Head coach Bill Belichick, who gave Herbert fits last season, did the same on Sunday with coverage disguises as well as a lot of pressure.

This time, it came primarily from the right side of Los Angeles’ offensive line.

The Bolts gave up 17 pressures to New England, per Pro Football Focus. Tackle Storm Norton and guard Michael Schofield combined for 11 of them.

Despite the ongoing pass protection problems the past two games, the Chargers are not planning on making any changes to those spots, coach Brandon Staley confirmed.

Without starters, Bryan Bulaga and Oday Aboushi, Norton and Schofield have been tasked with keeping Herbert clean but have struggled immensely.

Norton has allowed 32 pressures this season, third-most among tackles in the NFL.

Entering the season, the depth of the offensive line was a concern. But now, the inability to bring in competent backups has been exposed.

Even by using running backs and tight ends as additional blockers in an attempt to mitigate it, it has not worked.

“We have some protection issues, where this guy is getting sped up,” Staley said of Herbert. “We’re doing everything we can to help those guys, but what we got to do is stay out of known pass.”

Staley’s comment about keeping out of known pass refers to the ongoing issues with early-down efficiency, which continued to be an issue even after having a full week to improve in that area.

Instead of moving Matt Feiler to right tackle and sliding rookie Brenden Jaimes at left guard or making a trade, Staley is comfortable with the team’s current lineup.

It seems bold. Only time will tell if it pays off.

Chargers PFF grades: Best, worst performers in Week 8 loss to Patriots

Spotlighting Pro Football Focus’ studs and duds from the Chargers’ loss to the Patriots.

Following a week to recover and regroup, the Chargers were unable to fend off the Patriots on Sunday.

Despite the loss, Los Angeles had a few players on both sides of the ball who had themselves good individual performances.

With that being said, here are the best and worst performers from the 27-24 loss to New England, according to Pro Football Focus’ player grades.

Top 5 Offense

C Corey Linsley – 85.5

OL Michael Schofield – 79.3

OT Rashawn Slater – 79.2

QB Justin Herbert – 71.9

OL Matt Feiler – 71.7

Top 5 Defense

NT Linval Joseph – 80.2

S Nasir Adderley – 73.6

LB Kyzir White – 72.0

EDGE Uchenna Nwosu – 70.3

DT Justin Jones – 68.6

Bottom 5 Offense

OT Storm Norton – 52.9

TE Jared Cook – 55.5

WR Jalen Guyton – 57.3

WR Mike Williams – 58.8

WR Keenan Allen – 63.7

Bottom 5 Defense

LB Drue Tranquill – 46.0

CB Chris Harris Jr. – 48.8

DT Christian Covington – 52.7

EDGE Joey Bosa – 53.2

CB Tevaughn Campbell – 56.7

Everything we know about Chargers’ 27-24 loss to Patriots

Highlighting everything notable from the Los Angeles Chargers’ loss to the New England Patriots.

The Chargers fell to the Patriots by the score of 27-24.

To recap Week 8, here is everything we know:

It was over when…

Nick Folk connected from 30 yards with a little over two minutes remaining.

Notable numbers

The Chargers were 4-of-12 on third-down situations.

The Patriots won the time of possession battle, 35:24 to 24:36.

Quarterback Justin Herbert was picked off twice.

Herbert was sacked three times.

The Chargers allowed a punt return average of 20 yards.

The Chargers’ first down yards per play average was only 4.94 yards.

Stars of the game

RB Justin Jackson: 3 carries for 79 yards, long of 75

RB Austin Ekeler: 124 yards from scrimmage, touchdown

S Derwin James: 12 tackles, tackle for loss, forced fumble

WR Josh Palmer: First NFL receiving touchdown

Quick takes

Bill Belichick knows how to get the better of Justin Herbert. In two games, Herbert averaged just 216 yards, had a completion percentage of 50, threw for two touchdowns, four interceptions, and was sacked six times.

Aside from the Patriots’ solid defensive game plan, a handful of Herbert’s throws were off the mark and his decision-making was questionable. However, the offense’s lack of execution also included…

Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi’s play-calling on early downs continued to hinder the unit. As opposed to letting Herbert throw the ball, designed run plays were called far often than not.

Lombardi’s decisions put Herbert in many unfavorable positions, and it did not help that the team’s skill players struggled with dropped passes in crucial situations throughout the duration of the game.

Last season, the Patriots defense got to Justin Herbert with primarily twists/stunts. This time around it was blitzes on the right side of the line, which continues to be exploited.

Justin Jackson is the clear-cut RB2. Larry Rountree turned four carries into just 11 yards.

The run defense looked (slightly) better today with the presence of Justin Jones. Even though they allowed a total of 141 yards, the group allowed an average of only 3.6 yards per carry. Still an evident issue nonetheless.

Mac Jones was held to just 218 yards passing, but he mustered big plays that went for 44 yards and 33 yards. Jones also took advantage of the favorable field positions, which were attributed to…

The punt coverage unit, which allowed returner Gunner Olszewski to average 20 yards per punt, continues to be an issue.

Recapping the newest additions performances:

Andre Roberts: Returned three kicks for an average of 23.7 yards and a long of 29 yards.

Dustin Hopkins: Made all three extra points and his lone field goal attempt from 48 yards out.

The Chargers still have some work to do in terms of discipline. Too many costly penalties, including a Michael Davis hold on third down that turned into a touchdown.

Kind of fitting that the former Chargers had big plays. Adrian Phillips picked off Herbert twice and Hunter Henry recovered the onside kick at the end to seal the deal.

What’s next?

The Chargers are on the road to take on the Eagles next Sunday, Nov. 7 at 2:05 pm PT.

Twitter reacts to Chargers’ loss to Patriots

What the general population thought of the Chargers’ Week 8 loss to the Patriots.

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Fresh off their bye, many thought the Chargers made the necessary changes after the blowout loss to the Ravens when they took the field against the Patriots.

After trading touchdowns early on, the same mistakes continued to bite the Bolts, with those being lack of early-down execution, the run defense, punt coverage unit, dropped passes, and penalties.

Furthermore, quarterback Justin Herbert was not at his best for the second straight week, as he was held a completion percentage of nearly 50 and was picked off twice.

With that said, here’s a look at how the general population reacted following Los Angeles’ 27-24 loss to New England:

Watch: Chargers’ Justin Herbert connects with Keenan Allen to retake lead vs. Patriots

Watch Chargers QB Justin Herbert’s touchdown pass to Keenan Allen to retake the lead over the Patriots.

After running back Justin Jackson’s 75-yard run gets the Chargers in the red zone, quarterback Justin Herbert and wide receiver Keenan Allen connected for a five-yard touchdown.

Jackson’s 75-yard run is the second-longest by a Charger in the last decade. The first-longest is Melvin Gordon’s 87-yard touchdown run at New England in 2017.

Check out how the Chargers re-took the lead from New England:

Bolts lead 14-7 with 12:35 left in the second quarter.

Chargers inactives: See who’s in and who’s out for Week 8 vs. Patriots

Find out which Chargers players are active in Week 8.

The Los Angeles Chargers are set to take on the New England Patriots in Week 8 of the regular season.

Here is a look at their inactives today:

QB Easton Stick

RB Joshua Kelley

S Mark Webb Jr.

FB Gabe Nabers

OT Trey Pipkins III

For the first time this season rookie tight end Tre’ McKitty and offensive lineman Brenden Jaimes are active.

Four tight ends are suited up for the Bolts: Jared Cook, Donald Parham, Stephen Anderson and McKitty.

How to watch, listen, stream, wager Chargers vs. Patriots

To get you prepared, here is everything you need to know about the matchup between the Chargers and Patriots.

The Los Angeles Chargers are looking to get back on track as they’re set to face the New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Week 8 matchup:

Game Information

Los Angeles Chargers vs. New England Patriots

Sunday, Oct. 31 — 1:05 p.m. PT

SoFi Stadium — Inglewood, CA

Television

Those in the periwinkle area on the TV map will get the game on CBS.

Ian Eagle and Charles Davis will have the call.

Radio

ALT 98.7 FM

KBUA 105.5 / KBUE 94.3 FM

Streaming

fuboTV (try it free)

Betting

Lines are from Tipico Sports

Money line: Patriots +165 (bet $100 to win $165) Chargers -205 (bet $205 to win $100)

Against the spread (ATS): Patriots +4.5 (-115) Chargers -4.5 (-105)

Over/Under (O/U): 50.5 (O: -115 U: -105)

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