In a stand-alone game at home, the New England Patriots played what may have been their worst game of the season. Their 40-7 loss to the visiting Los Angeles Chargers was a difficult one overall, and both the coaches and the players should take some of the blame for the lopsided loss. Let’s discuss the lessons we learned from the Patriots’ 13th defeat of the year.
As the Pats become less relevant, the seats ought to be getting hotter.
It was assumed going into this game that Jerod Mayo would return the following season. His return may not be as inevitable as it seems after a performance like Saturday, especially because it took place in a stand-alone game. The attack wasn’t much better, and the defense, which ought to be his specialty, was ruined once more. This kind of game has the potential to compel an owner to make some adjustments. After a game like this, no one should be saved as the Patriots continue their decline into obscurity.
Of course, the Krafts might not be that rash; they said back in January that they were thinking long-term in promoting Mayo to replace Bill Belichick. With the way the team has looked in two of its three games since the bye week, however, drastic measures would certainly be justified.
Another strange turn of events
Jerod Mayo has made a habit of saying things on the podium and then having to retract them later. Typically, all that happens after the game. On Saturday, he followed a different timeline.
Speaking to 98.5 The Sports Hub before the game, he announced that Antonio Gibson was going to be the starting running back. When the offense actually took the field, however, it was Rhamondre Stevenson getting the start.
It is unclear how that happened. Maybe offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt wanted to start Stevenson and simply ignored what Mayo was saying, or maybe there was a miscommunication between the two of them, or maybe some unexpected issue came up that forced the team’s hand.
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