A win over the surging Chargers would be a positive sign for the Patriots
Welcome to Season 6, Episode 8 of the Unconventional Preview, a serious-but-lighthearted, often nostalgia-tinted look at the Patriots’ weekly matchup that runs right here every weekend (or the occasional Thursday).
The Patriots will hit the midway point of the season with the conclusion of Sunday’s matchup against the 3-4 San Diego . . . er, Los Angeles Chargers. With the outcome, which will bump them to 6-2 or drop them to 5-3, they’ll either be on a 10- or 12-win pace heading into the bye week.
A 10-win pace would be a disappointment, sure. A 12-win pace may not even seem fulfilling given all of those premature preseason proclamations about the possibility of going 16-0. But remember, 12-win seasons are common for the Patriots; they went 12-4 every year from 2012-15.
Plus, with a win, first place in the AFC East would belong solely to them heading into the welcome break before the grueling trip to Denver and then Mexico City to play the Raiders.
I know, that’s a lot of words to say that this is a bigger game than it might have seemed when the schedule was released. A win over the surging Chargers — they’ve won three straight after an 0-4 start — would be a sign that the Patriots more than just trending the right way. It would be an assurance that, despite a few hiccups and a couple of crushing injuries, they’re headed toward becoming at least a reasonable facsimile of the dominant football team we expected before this odd season began.
Kick it off, Gostkowski, and let’s get this one started . . .
Three players I’ll be watching not named Tom Brady
David Harris: The biggest frustration with the Patriots season as the break beckons has to be that they’ve already endured a season’s worth of attrition. They haven’t been buried by a high quantity of injuries; they’ve made only a couple of roster moves, though that should change with the trade deadline coming up. But the caliber of players who have been injured would devastate lesser teams, and it’s still uncertain how the Patriots will compensate for the latest blow.
After losing Julian Edelman for the year in the preseason, they lost a similarly important player on the defense against the Falcons when linebacker Dont’a Hightower tore a pectoral muscle while trying to corral Devonta Freeman.
Hightower hasn’t been the most durable Patriot through the years, but his intelligence and versatility are essential. If you need further confirmation of his value, watch the second halves of Super Bowls XLIX and LI and ask yourself if either of those championship banners would adorn Gillette Stadium if not for his big plays in the biggest moments in both games.
He’s a wonderful player when he’s right, and no single Patriot is going to replace him. Harris, a 33-year-old veteran who has lost a step or two but has intangible attributes similar to Hightower, probably will take on the biggest role. He did play well against the Falcons. It’s imperative that he continues to do so.
Joey Bosa: If there’s a genuine reason to fear the Chargers, it’s their ferocious pass rush. As Bill Belichick put it in his Friday press conference, “Third down is basically just a sack and turnover reel.’’
Bosa, the relentless second-year end, has 18 sacks in 19 career games, including 7½ so far this year. And he doesn’t even lead the Chargers. Linebacker Melvin Ingram has 8½ — five more than Patriots co-leaders Kyle Von Noy and Trey Flowers. And third-down specialist Chris McCain has 5 sacks. This is the best three-pronged pass rush the Chargers have had since the days of Junior Seau and any two other random guys.
Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa.
The Patriots offensive line has improved in recent weeks, but left tackle Nate Solder has had a difficult year on a couple of levels, and I’m not sure the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers line in its heyday could slow down this Chargers rush. If ever there is a week for the Patriots running game to ease the burden on Brady, it’s this one.
Brandin Cooks: Cooks is still getting on the same wavelength as Brady, especially on shorter routes. But it should be noted that he is getting there, and during the process, his production has been excellent, if not always consistent.
Despite the adjustment to a new team, a complicated offense, and a very demanding quarterback, Cooks has still managed to accumulate the third-most receiving yards in the NFL (537), trailing only the Steelers’ Antonio Brown and the Bengals’ A.J. Green. Just imagine what he will do when he has all of the details down.
Grievance of the week
If you read Don Van Natta and Seth Wickersham’s detailed piece on ESPN.com regarding how the NFL owners have attempted to navigate the players’ protests and the broadsides from President Donald Trump, you can surely come up with a half-dozen grievances about the league from that story alone.
The one that is getting the most attention, rightfully, is Texans owner Bob McNair’s offhand, ignorant, and revealing comment that the “inmates’’ — meaning the players — can’t be “running the prison.’’
Say what you want about Robert Kraft and his awkward dance between currying favor with Roger Goodell and placating Patriots fans during Deflategate, but he never steps on his tongue like that. For a group of highly successful people, the NFL owners sure do come across as hapless and tone-deaf rather often.
Prediction, or John Jefferson was the coolest receiver in NFL history and I will not hear a counter-argument
Speaking of the vintage Air Coryell Chargers, Dan Fouts is on the call along with play-by-play voice Ian Eagle Sunday. I generally like Fouts as analyst. He’s affable and dryly humorous.
But I recognize I’m in the minority around here on that. I hear often from local fans who think he’s anti-Patriot, and with that in mind, I’m very curious how the Chargers legend navigates this game. Does Troy Aikman get the same level of grief when he calls Cowboys games? I don’t believe so, though he probably did early in his career.
Ultimately, the anti-Fouts faction of Patriots fans will find some satisfaction when his former team goes down in defeat. That Chargers pass rush is worrisome, and there is concern about Hightower’s absence. But the Patriots are the superior team, so long as they keep Brady from being spindled by Bosa and friends. This is going to be a big Rob Gronkowski/James White game. Six wins at the break? Sure beats five. Patriots 31, Chargers 17.
