The Los Angeles Chargers three game winning streak comes to an end as the the Chargers fell to the New England Patriots, 21-13. After the tough road loss, the Chargers record stands at 3-5 as they head into their bye week. Here are some Chargers takeaways from the loss.
Week Eight Los Angeles Chargers Takeaways
Chargers Offense Can’t Overcome Miscues
The Chargers faced the defending champions in their own stadium, and played competitive, hard-nosed football. However, they committed far too many errors to be able to defeat such a well-coached foe. From Travis Benjamin’s safety to Philip Rivers‘ odd fumble to Tyrell Williams stepping out of bounds on what would have been a touchdown, the Chargers dug themselves into a hole and never got out.
There were many good signs from this Chargers team today. The defense frequently got pressure on quarterback Tom Brady, forcing him to throw it early or throw it away. Chargers running back Melvin Gordon ran hard for 132 yards, including an 87 yard touchdown. Wide receiver Keenan Allen appeared unrecoverable. Allen frequently beat good coverage en route to four catches for 61 yards. Overall, the team played fairly well.
Unfortunately, the Patriots capitalized on the early mistakes by the Chargers, specifically the safety by returner Benjamin. There’s still hope for the Chargers this season, but it must be frustrating that they let yet another game slip from their grasp.
Patriots Gameplan: Avoid Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa
Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa garner a lot of attention from media, fans, and other teams alike, and rightly so. Entering the week, the defensive-ends combined for 16 sacks on the young season. That total could surpass 30 by season’s end.
For the second time this season (the first being the Oakland Raiders), the Chargers opponent adapted an offensive strategy that was clearly built on avoiding the pass rush produced by Ingram and Bosa. Like the Raiders, the Patriots relied on their running game and quick passes (shorter than three seconds) to move the ball and keep Brady upright.
The Patriots were successful, for the most part. Bosa did get a sack off of Brady, as did defensive tackle Darius Philon and corner Desmond King. Ingram had some pressures on Brady. The Chargers did hold the prolific Patriot offense to only one touchdown. However, the Patriots were still able to pick up first downs consistently, mainly by throwing to their running backs. Not all NFL teams have running backs with as polished receiving skills as the Patriots, but the Chargers clearly have a weakness when it comes to covering running backs catching out of the backfield. They will have to address this weakness in the future, or teams will continue to take advantage.
Offensive Coordinator Ken Whisenhunt is on the Hot Seat
Ken Whisenhunt is a veteran coach in this league, and a two-time NFL head coach. Despite his experience, the Chargers offense has stalled out on far too many drives this season. When you factor in the talent the Chargers have on offense, there is really no excuse for performing this poorly.
His play call is far too conservative and head scratching at times. Rivers yelling at Whisenhunt after a terrible third down call has become a weekly ritual. It’s probably unfair to pin all of the Chargers offensive woes on Whisenhunt. Still, there have simply been too many bad calls and sluggish performances by the offense this season.
The Chargers will likely keep Whisenhunt for the rest of 2017. However, things are bad enough to trigger a change during the off-season. If this keeps up for the rest of the season, it’s doubtful that Whisenhunt will return in 2018.
Looking Ahead
The Chargers will have their bye in week nine, and will face the Jacksonville Jaguars at home in week ten. Though their record is only 3-5, the AFC West is still wide open. However, for the remainder of the season,every game is a must-win for the Chargers.
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