Tag: Chargers vs. Patriots

Chargers CB Chris Harris Jr. provides insight on Patriots ahead of Week 8 matchup

CB Chris Harris Jr. spoke with Chargers Wire about the Week 8 matchup against the Patriots.

Even though the Patriots’ 3-4 record may not show it, cornerback Chris Harris Jr. believes the Chargers’ first game back from the bye week will be a challenge.

“It’s always a tough game playing the Patriots,” the veteran said.

With 11 years in the league under his belt, Harris knows a thing or two about New England and head coach Bill Belichick.

“They always have a tight defense,” Harris said. “Bill Belichick is always a great coach and always puts them in great situations to make plays.”

Belichick’s ability to attack his opponent’s fundamentals and discipline on the field is something Harris is familiar with and has seen throughout his career in the NFL.

The Patriots recently put up a fight against their former quarterback Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. Even though New England lost, it proved the team could be competitive against one of the best in the league.

Furthermore, despite losing, the Patriots took the red-hot Cowboys to overtime just two weekends ago.

This Sunday, New England will be facing a Chargers team that they shut out last season, 45-0. But heading in with a new coaching staff and full health to their key players, the outcome should be different.

“They’re a team that’s always going to be ready to win and ready to play so we have to bring our best game forward versus them,” Harris said.

This season, the Bolts are one of the most even-keeled teams, with established wins over the Browns, Chiefs, and Raiders. However, Los Angeles looked quite the opposite in their last matchup against the Ravens.

“It’s a roller coaster league,” Harris said of the NFL. “It could be up one week, it could be down the next week. I just learned that each week you’re either going to get humbled or you’re going to do the humbling.”

Chargers ‘hopeful’ RB Austin Ekeler can play vs. Patriots

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler did not practice for the second straight day.

Chargers running back Austin Ekeler was a surprise addition to the injury report on Thursday.

Dealing with a hip injury, Ekeler did not practice for the second consecutive day and is now questionable for this weekend’s contest against the Patriots.

Following Friday’s practice, head coach Brandon Staley said Ekeler felt sore after Wednesday’s session, which led to the decision of holding him out, adding that he is “hopeful” that the 26-year old can play.

With there not an established back behind Ekeler, not having him on the field would be a considerable loss. Ekeler has 73 of the team’s 139 carries, averaging almost 5 yards per carry, and has four rushing touchdowns.

In other injury-related news, it remains to be seen if defensive tackle Justin Jones will be activated off the injured reserve. Staley said Jones looked good in practice.

4 bold predictions for Chargers in Week 8 vs. Patriots

Laying out four bold predictions as the Chargers look to get back on track after the blowout loss to the Ravens.

The Chargers are facing off against the Patriots on Sunday, Oct. 31.

There’s always bound to be some things that most people would not have forecasted.

With that being said, here are four bold predictions for Week 8’s matchup:

Keenan Allen goes off for over 150 yards

One of the biggest head-scratchers in the blowout loss to the Ravens was Allen not being targeted until late in the game, despite being open for a good portion of it. However, after the unusual quiet performance, Allen bounces back in a big way. With J.C. Jackson likely to match up against Mike Williams, Allen will draw Jalen Mills and some bracket help. Mills is allowing 11.2 yards per catch. Slowed by Stephon Gilmore a season ago, Allen goes crazy this time around.

Mac Jones is picked off more than once

Jones, the Patriots’ first-round pick, has looked improved, and he is coming off the best performance of the season against the Jets. However, he will be walking into one of the most challenging tasks against Brandon Staley’s defense, which ranks fourth in the league by allowing just 202 yards per game. The primary focal point of his scheme is stressing the quarterback post-snap, which will lead Jones to toss a few erratic passes.

Chargers allow less than 100 yards rushing

Progress. After averaging 155 rushing yards given up the last three games, the defense finally finds a way to allow double-digit yards on the ground. Even though Damien Harris is coming off back-to-back 100-yard games, the Chargers could be getting some help with the possible return of Justin Jones, who is arguably the team’s best interior defender. Furthermore, Staley said addressing the woes was more of him improving his teaching, which they had the bye week for.

QB Justin Herbert guides the Chargers to victory

After a much-needed bye week, the Chargers return with the necessary changes to the run defense, early-down play-calling, and special teams to come out of Week 8 with a win. In addition, Herbert, who put up a goose egg in the touchdown category and arguably the worst performance of his career to date a season ago against New England, gets the better of head coach Bill Belichick this time around and throws for over 300 yards and three touchdowns.

Who are the experts taking in Chargers vs. Patriots?

Find out who national pundits are favoring in the matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots.

The Los Angeles Chargers are considered 5.5-point favorites over the New England Patriots in Week 8 of the 2021 season. The over/under is set to 48.5 points, per Tipico Sportsbook.

That means oddsmakers are taking bets on whether the two teams will combine to score more than or fewer than 48.5 points.

My score prediction for the game is a 31-21 win for the Chargers, with a combined total of 52 points. So if I was putting money behind my prediction, I’d bet the over.

As for game picks, the majority of analysts are favoring Los Angeles.

Expert Pick
Nate Davis (USA Today) Patriots
Mike Jones (USA Today) Chargers
Mike Clay (ESPN) Chargers
Matt Bowen (ESPN) Chargers
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) Chargers
Jared Dubin (CBS Sports) Chargers
Gregg Rosenthal (NFL Media) Patriots
Bleacher Report Chargers

Sunday’s game will begin at 1:05 p.m. PT and will be televised on CBS.

Chargers injury update: RB Austin Ekeler misses Thursday practice

The Chargers had a surprise addition to the injury report.

The Chargers appeared to be heading into the Week 8 bout against the Patriots with a relatively healthy squad.

However, there’s a possibility that the team could be with a key player who’s either banged up or not available altogether this weekend.

Running back Austin Ekeler was added to the injury report with a hip issue and did not practice as a result.

The severity of the injury remains to be seen and it will be closely monitored leading up into the contest.

This comes a day after Ekeler commented on the state of the backfield, adding that someone needs to step up and establish themselves as the second back.

If Ekeler is limited or ruled out, Justin Jackson, Joshua Kelley and rookie Larry Rountree will all have more opportunities to make their cases.

Keys to a Chargers’ victory over Patriots in Week 8

Highlighting what the Los Angeles Chargers must do in order to capture a victory over the New England Patriots.

The Chargers are set to face off against the Patriots on Sunday afternoon, looking to get back on track after being blown out by the Ravens.

There are a few key things that Los Angeles will need to do to secure a victory in Week 8.

First and foremost, the Chargers need to start being more efficient on early downs by putting quarterback Justin Herbert in more manageable situations, which means playing to his strengths and pushing the ball beyond the sticks. The Patriots will draw up something similar to last year when they limited Herbert to the worst performance of his career, which consisted of stunts/twists and disguised coverages. Therefore, offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi must be on his A-game. More quick passes, play-action, designed rollouts, and extra protection are essential to mitigate it.

Defensively, Los Angeles needs to slow New England’s running game that will heavily feature Damien Harris, who’s been one of the more efficient backs in this league. When facing the ground game, physicality is needed at the point of attack to avoid holes from being opened up. Getting Justin Jones back will be crucial to aiding it. Jones has been out since the season opener. Furthermore, missed tackles at the second level can’t occur. Doing so will force the Patriots into passing situations, and Los Angeles is one of the best at defending it, especially against a quarterback Mac Jones, who, while improving, is still prone to rookie mistakes.

On special teams, the latest addition of return specialist Andre Roberts is vital to shorten the field for Herbert and company. Additionally, the other pickup, Dustin Hopkins, must pick up the slack left by Tristan Vizcaino and make all of his field goals and extra points. Most importantly, the coverage units must be physical and technically sound to avoid a repeat of last year when returner Gunner Olszewski ran wild.

6 Patriots who pose biggest threat to Chargers

Highlighting a few New England Patriots players who could make it difficult for the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Los Angeles Chargers take on the New England Patriots this Sunday at 1:05 p.m. PT.

Here are a few Patriots players who the Bolts must hone in on to increase their chances of coming out victorious.

RB Damien Harris

The Patriots know that the Chargers are susceptible against the run, which is why you can expect them to unleash Harris early and often. Harris has the eighth-most rushing yards (437), third-most rushing touchdowns (five), and already has three 100-yard games in the first seven games of the season, which is second-most in the NFL. Furthermore, bringing Harris down won’t be an easy task, as he is seventh in both rushing yards after contact (311) and forced missed tackles (20), per Pro Football Focus.

TE Hunter Henry

Henry returns to Los Angeles to face his former team on a bit of a hot streak. Quarterback Mac Jones has begun favoring Henry in the red zone, and the numbers show. He has hauled in a touchdown catch in each of the last four Patriots games. The Chargers, on the other hand, have allowed five touchdowns to tight ends this season.

EDGE Matthew Judon

The Chargers have seen a fair share of some of the league’s most premier pass rushers up to this point, and now they are set to face one who has continually gone under the radar. Judon, the sixth-year player, is just as good at defending the run as he is at applying pressure to signal-callers. He is sixth in the league with 20 combined quarterback hits and tackles for loss. Furthermore, he has 29 quarterback disruptions.

S Adrian Phillips

Henry is not the only former Chargers player who is having some success on their new team. Like in the blue and gold days, Phillips has played and thrived in an assortment of roles. In two seasons, Phillips has logged three interceptions, 143 tackles and his first career sack. This season, he has been sticky in coverage, allowing a passer rating of just 37.2.

DT Christian Barmore

For the second straight game week, there’s been a rookie listed among the crop. First, it was Ravens edge defender Odafe Oweh. Now, Barmore, the 6-foot-5 and 311-pound interior defensive lineman. The second-round pick has steadily established himself as one of the most disruptive players among the team’s front seven. With an explosive first step and power, Barmore has registered 17 quarterback disruptions so far while drawing a handful of penalties.

Returner Gunner Olszewski

If you remember the Patriots’ shutout win over the Chargers last season, you likely recall Olszewski’s punt return for a touchdown. But, of course, this happened when the special teams department was a dumpster fire, and while the coverage units are improved from then, it’s still a ways from being counted on as reliable. This season, Olszewski is averaging 11.1 yards per punt return and 23.3 yards per kick return.

First injury report for Chargers ahead of matchup vs. Patriots

The Los Angeles Chargers only had three players on the first injury report.

Following their bye week, the Chargers returned to work in preparation for the Week 8 matchup with the Patriots.

Here is a look at Wednesday’s injury report:

The bye week did the team wonders, as it allowed the players to rest and recover after six consecutive games fully.

All three players who missed the last game against the Ravens are all trending toward playing this weekend.

Nasir Adderley and Mike Williams were both full participants, while Drue Tranquill practiced in a limited capacity.

Justin Jones has been practicing, and he will likely be activated ahead of the contest after being out since Week 1.

Chargers striving for aggressive approach on early downs

The Chargers used the bye week to hone in on an area of weakness.

The Chargers’ 34-6 loss to the Ravens in Week 6 unveiled a few things that needed to be tidied up during the bye last week.

Among the noteworthy was the early-down offense.

One of the storylines this season has been the success on third and fourth downs. However, the issue is that they have been in those situations far too often, primarily due to the lack of production on first and second downs.

Run plays, or short throws to keep the offense in front of the chains, have been leaned on. But then, quarterback Justin Herbert has been forced to push the ball down the field on late downs more so than none.

Although the offense has been one of the most efficient on late downs, Los Angeles found out against Baltimore it is too risky to be in those scenarios consistently.

Moving forward, the Chargers could be making the point to let Herbert play to his strengths by letting it loose early on now to ensure they are not staying behind the sticks.

At Wednesday’s media availability, running back Austin Ekeler said the most significant emphasis over the bye week was figuring out a way to win on first and second downs by being more creative and aggressive in play calling.

It should not be a difficult adjustment for an offense that has been one of the most productive this season. We will see what offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi has up his sleeves this Sunday against the Patriots.

Patriots HC Bill Belichick speaks on facing son of former player

Bill Belichick speaks on facing CB Asante Samuel Jr., son of former player

The Chargers secondary is talented yet young, and one player, in particular, shows how time indeed does fly.

Rookie cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. is the son of former Pro Bowler Asante Samuel Sr., who Patriots’ Bill Belichick coached nearly two decades ago.

Belichick shared his thoughts on facing the son of one of his former players: “It makes me feel old,” he said.

On the field, Samuel resembles his father’s confidence and ball skills, and it shows as he has two interceptions, five passes defended, and 15 tackles. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound rookie was drafted in the second round and many doubted his capabilities because of his smaller frame.

Nevertheless, after receiving Rookie of the Month in September, the 21-year-old is establishing a name for himself in the NFL. After earning the accolade, Samuel became the youngest Chargers cornerback to pick off a pass in the last 25 seasons.

The success of the rookie is reminiscent of his father, who also had a prosperous career. Drafted in 2003, Samuel Sr. played 11 seasons in the NFL and collected 51 interceptions throughout his time in the league. Additionally, he recorded 439 tackles and 164 pass defenses.

Along with the Patriots, Samuel Sr. played for the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons.