The Pats capitalized on some early blunders by the Chargers to get out in front for most of this game. However, lack some situational awareness and a soft defense allowed the Chargers to climb their way back into this game and make it a nail-biter. In the end, the Pats did just enough and hung on to win, 23-20.
Offense
Tom Brady did not look sharp for the 2nd straight week and had accuracy issues. Part of that may have resulted from poor pass protection and not being able to step into his throws. There were a few occasions where his throws landed at the feet of his receivers.
The left side of the offensive line appeared to struggle in this game. Light once again got victimized by speedy edge rushers. Brady seemed to be pressured all game long and did not have much time make his reads.
In addition to not being to pass block very well, the offensive line also struggled in creating holes in the run game. The Pats only rushed for about 50 yards.
Considering the lack of success running the ball all game, it was horrible execution on the 4th and 1 attempt at the end of the game. That play had no chance. I respect Belichick's aggressiveness in certain situations and I understand that a conversion there would essentially end the game. But at some point, you're going to have to punt the ball one day and trust that your young defense can come up with a stop.
Defense
After the Pats failed to convert on 4th down, the Chargers were left with a short field to get into FG range. However, the young defense was up to the task and did just enough to force the Chargers to try a 45-yard FG. Thankfully, a false start penalty pushed them back another 5 yards and the rest is history.
The defense was very opportunistic in this game. Early in the game, they forced a fumble and gathered two additional fumbles from mental lapses by the Chargers. It was a heads-up play by Sanders to dive on the ball left behind by an untouched WR.
The Pats also did a good job of containing Gates for most of the game. He was pretty much a non-factor until the coverage started to soften up late in the game. I hate seeing soft zone coverages late in games but I know it's designed to prevent giving up long plays.
Speaking of containing, the Pats did a good job in limiting the Chargers to only 38 rush yards. It forced the Chargers to be one dimensional. However, Rivers made the most of his opportunities and threw for a ton of yards. He was able to drive his team down the field way too easily, especially late in the game. The Pats need to tighten up their defense and not allow as many 4th quarter points (17).
McCourty continues to impress in his rookie year and came down with a textbook interception. He had great position on his man, turned back at the right time to locate the ball, and made an athletic play to snatch the ball at its highest point. What a great pick in this year's draft! Dez, who?
Special Teams
Gostkowski had another good game on a very windy day. He was perfect on his 3 FG tries and he added another touchback.
It's a bad thing when long snappers get noticed and this was no exception. Jake Ingram had several low snaps which could have been disastrous. It was a good thing that Mesko was able to handle them and still get his punts off.
The Pats had a huge mental lapse allowing the Chargers to recover an onside-kick late in the game. The lack of situational awareness was not typical for a Belichick-coached team. Hopefully these young guys will learn from this and not repeat these types of mistakes in future games.
Other Thoughts
Overall, it was an ugly game but I'll take the W. The offense struggled badly for most of this game but they did enough to score against a very stingy defense. The defense was opportunistic and made the required plays on the Chargers' miscues.
The Chargers must be one of the dumbest teams in the league. They are routinely beating themselves with unforced fumbles and untimely penalties. They definitely deserve their 2-5 record.
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