I'm sorry, but beating the tanking Texans (1-7) or mostly hapless Jets (2-5) means nothing to me in 2021, hence why I didn't bother to write about last week's useless 54-13 pasting of those Jets. That is also why it was very refreshing to see the Patriots (4-4 overall, 3-0 road) go to Los Angeles this afternoon and beat the Chargers (4-3 overall, 2-2 home) 27-24 at SoFi Stadium. LA is not going to win the Super Bowl this season (and frankly neither are the Patriots) but they look and feel like a playoff team which certainly can't be said for Houston or New York. This is the first time in quite a strange season that the Pats have won consecutive games.
New England head coach Bill Belichick improved to 4-0 against rookie head coaches this season (coincidence?) while safety Adrian Phillips-a former Charger-was the star of the game with a pair of interceptions including the first pick-six of his NFL career. The victory was not a fluke for the visitors who had plenty of Masshole transplants in attendance cheering them on in their finest Halloween costumes. In fact, that close final score is quite misleading since something named Joshua Palmer caught a garbage time touchdown for the Chargers with 40 seconds left in regulation. Another former Charger great tight end Hunter Henry snared the ensuing onside kick to seal the win and guarantee a fun plane ride home for the Patriots.
Somewhat surprisingly given the result, this contest did not feature a stellar performance by Pats rookie quarterback Mac Jones who barely completed over half of his passes (18-of-35 for 218 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs) but unlike LA's second-year stud Justin Herbert (18-of-35 for 223 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs), he had zero turnovers. From the look of their opening drive, it appeared that the Chargers were going to drop 40+ points on New England as they easily went down the field (10 plays, 75 yards, 4:28) capped off by a rugby scrum style five-yard touchdown run by their dynamic running back Austin Ekeler (64 yards rushing, 60 yards receiving). LA's new kicker Dustin Hopkins tacked on the PAT for an early 7-0 lead. The Patriots responded though with an eerily similar drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:28 but they finished it with a one-yard run by running back Damien Harris (23 carries, 80 yards). Nick Folk added the point after to tie it at seven.
Longtime Chargers receiver Keenan Allen (6 catches, 77 yards) caught a five-yard touchdown from Herbert early in the second quarter that coupled with another kick by Hopkins made it 14-7 in favor of the home team. The red zone is still a major issue for Jones and the Pats who had to settle for a 24-yard field goal by Folk and their dependable kicker hit a 48-yard field goal with 10 seconds left in the first half to cut LA's advantage to just one point (14-13). The defenses started to take over in the third quarter as Folk hit a 48-yard field goal for New England's first lead at 16-14 but Hopkins answered with a 48-yard kick of his own to help Los Angeles regain the lead.
Phillips' earlier interception was from a tipped ball but the fourth quarter pick-six that went for 26 yards was a complete gift from Herbert. The pass was intended for tight end Jared Cook who had not even turned around when the ball went whistling by him and Phillips was alert enough to dive for it then get up and run it to the end zone when he was never touched while on the ground. Belichick elected to go for two and Jones found wide receiver Jakobi Meyers for the two-point conversion. New England showed great poise on the game-clinching drive as they kept picking up first downs but also smartly stayed inbounds to keep the clock running. Folk's 30-yard field goal with 2:19 left gave them a 10-point lead (27-17).
New England's defense had three sacks, led of course by their excellent linebacker Matthew Judon (4 tackles, 1 assist, 1.5 sacks, 1 tackle for loss). Defensive lineman Lawrence Guy had a sack as well while rookie defensive lineman Christian Barmore was credited with half a sack of Herbert. The Dolphins (1-7) have lost seven games in a row since beating the Pats in the season opener so the AFC East race is already down to only the Bills (5-2) and New England. Buffalo is still a heavy favorite to win the division and I'd be really surprised to see the Patriots upset them in either meeting but at least there is some hope that they could qualify for the playoffs in the not that great AFC. The Pats will look to keep their perfect road record intact next Sunday afternoon (1, CBS) as they visit Stephon Gilmore (who had an interception today in his Panthers debut!) and Carolina (4-4) at Bank Of America Stadium. Former Jets great Sam Darnold went into concussion protocol and had to leave today's 19-13 win over the Falcons (3-4) so his status will be something to keep an eye on this week. FYI his backup is something named PJ Walker who no joke is a proud XFL alum.
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