The New England Patriots will take on the Los Angeles Chargers next Sunday at 4:05. Mac Jones and Justin Herbert, a battle between two young quarterbacks. The Patriots go into the game 3-4, the Chargers at 4-2. Both teams have shown flashes of being great teams, but both quarterbacks are young and have been somewhat inconsistent.
Patriots Keys to Success
Key Players
Hunter Henry:
The two big money tight ends have been picking up their production as we get towards the middle of the season. They started off slow but Hunter Henry has a touchdown in 4 straight games now. Jonnu Smith went down with a shoulder injury in Sunday’s blowout of the Jets. With Smith potentially missing this week’s game, Henry needs to take advantage of being the sole number one tight end target. If he can provide Mac Jones with some separation he will be able to help out the other receivers by drawing more attention, as well as helping the run game with his blocking.
Damien Harris
Damien Harris has gone for over 100 yards in three games so far this season. The Patriots are going to need him to be able to produce like that against the Chargers. The Chargers have given up 975 rushing yards to opponents this season. Harris should be able to run well. In his last two games, he has gone for over 100 yards, and the offense has scored 29 and 54 points. When Harris is running well, he opens up the passing game for Mac Jones a little more.
Kyle Dugger
With Devin McCourty leaving the game against the Jets, Dugger replaced him as a safety. Duggar came in and grabbed an interception and led the defense with 8 tackles. Going against a pass-heavy offense featuring Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, Duggar could have a busy day ahead of him.
Offensive and Defensive Line
The Patriot’s offensive line has been inconsistent, mainly due to injury. But they need to make it easier for Damien Harris and Mac Jones. On the other side, the Patriots have had trouble with the pass rush this season. They have to put pressure on Herbert. The Patriots have 15 sacks as a team, 6.5 of those belong to Matthew Judon. The Patriots would love to have some more help from the rest of the defensive line.
Chargers Keys to Success
Justin Herbert
Herbert has been playing extremely well this season. Herbert has thrown for 1700 yards and 14 touchdowns while only throwing 4 picks. The Chargers rely heavily on their passing game, Herbert throws the ball around 40 times per game, he has to be on his A game to compete in this game.
Keenan Allen and Mike Williams
The Charger’s two top wide receivers have been relatively disappointing this season. Mike Williams has 33 receptions for about 500 yards and 6 touchdowns. Williams has been having a really good season, with that being said he has had two outlier games, in weeks 4 and 6 he put up a combined 3 receptions for 38 yards and zero touchdowns. He also has two games with 120 yards and 160 yards with a pair of touchdowns in each game. Williams being on would be tough for the Patriots to stop. Keenan Allen has not looked like himself this season, he only has 1 touchdown through 6 games. Allen needs to at least draw attention from the Pats defense, he is looking to turn his season around.
Joey Bosa
Joey Bosa needs to put pressure on Mac Jones and keep him from being able to read the field. Bosa only has 3.5 sacks this season, he should be able to put pressure on Jones with the Patriot’s offensive line being very inconsistent. The Patriots have been sacked 14 times this season. If Bosa can make Jones uncomfortable, or get Jones out of the pocket, the Charger’s defense should have success.
Patriots vs Chargers Predictions
This weeks matchup should be a close game. I do not expect this game to be a defensive battle. Both of these defenses have given up big points multiple times this season. The Patriot’s balanced offense should keep them in control of the game clock, but the Chargers high powered offense should put up big numbers and big plays throughout the game.
Final Score Predictions:
Patriots 33 – Chargers 28
Mac Jones: 250 yards & 2 touchdowns
Justin Herbert: 410 yards & 3 touchdowns
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