New England Patriots possibly on upset alert against Chargers
By Stephen Ur
The New England Patriots are a sizable favorite against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday afternoon. However, there are factors that could call for an upset.
The New England Patriots’ defense looked very impressive against the Atlanta Falcons. However, is that really that big an accomplishment? Atlanta has suffered a massive Super Bowl hangover and not been the same team offensively.
Now, they’re going up against a Chargers team that has Hall of Fame tight end Antonio Gates, running back Melvin Gordon who has done well, and wide receiver Travis Benjamin with quarterback Philip Rivers throwing to them.
Not many think Rivers is good enough to beat the Patriots, but New England’s defense is still one of the worst in the league, especially in the secondary. They also lost an absolute key part to their defense with Dont’a Hightower being out for the season.
That is a big loss for the deteriorating defense. Los Angeles could take advantage of his absence in the short passing game. Gates could have himself a great day in this game.
That also opens up a big advantage for the running game. Hightower will not be there to stop Gordon when he attempts to run up the middle, so the Chargers could be looking to run him up the middle more.
Another mismatch is New England’s offensive line against second-year sensation Joey Bosa. After a 2016 season that saw Bosa record 10.5 sacks, he already has 7.5 halfway through this season. He could see himself sacking Brady several times in this game.
Luck is not on the Patriots’ side, either. They’ve allowed 300-yard passers in all six games. They are the first team in NFL history to do that. They’ve also lost three of their first four home games – and should’ve lost to the Houston Texans, as well.
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The game is set to kick off at 1 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA. This will be an interesting game to watch as the Chargers look to win their fourth in a row to get back to .500 while New England will look to separate themselves in the AFC East.