New England Patriots vs Los Angeles Chargers: Game 8 preview and prediction
By Hal Bent
WHY THE PATRIOTS WILL WIN
Tom Brady
Shutting out Trevor Siemian is one thing; slowing down a future Hall-of-Fame quarterback and the only quarterback to win five Super Bowls and win four Super Bowl MVPs is quite another proposition.
At the age of 40, Brady has shown no signs of decline. He is completing 66.4 percent of his passes and is averaging 315.4 yards passing per game. He has thrown just two interceptions with 15 touchdowns through seven games. His 108.4 quarterback rating and 12.7 average yards per completion put him once again in the upper echelon of quarterbacks in the NFL in 2017.
Amazingly, Brady is still adjusting to changes in personnel through seven games. While running back James White, tight end Rob Gronkowski and wide receivers Danny Amendola and Chris Hogan are all back, he is also getting used to running back Rex Burkhead, wide receivers Brandin Cooks and Phillip Dorsett and tight ends Jacob Hollister and Dwayne Allen.
Brady has picked apart every opposing defense after a slow start in Week 1 against Kansas City. His offense is second in the league in net passing yards and first in net yards per passing attempt. He is first in passes completed, passing yards, second in passer rating, yards per passing attempt, pass interception ratio, and touchdowns.
Brady has the ability to will his team to victory. With the team struggling with injuries on both sides of the ball and heading into the bye week, this could be another game where Brady leads New England into a tough and gritty win against an excellent defense.