The New England Patriots suffer their 10^th defeat of the season as they lose a 6-0 defensive battle versus the Los Angeles Chargers at Gilette Stadium on Sunday.

After two field goals, the Los Angeles Chargers took a 6-0 lead into halftime. Both teams would then go scoreless in the 2^nd half and the Chargers would cruise to their 5^th victory of the season.

With this win, the Los Angeles Chargers keep their playoff hopes alive. They will most likely have to win out the rest of the season to ensure a spot in this year’s post-season.

The Chargers were led by their Khalil Mack and their dominant defense. Mack was a nuisance to the Patriots offense recording two sacks and five total tackles. He has 13 sacks on the season and this his 3^rd straight game having two sacks.

The Los Angeles defense orchestrated their first shutout of the year after allowing over 20 points in their last three games.

On offense, LA received great contribution from their star QB-WR duo of Justin Herbert and Keenan Allen. Herbert threw for 212 yards on 22/37 passing, while Allen recorded 5 receptions for 58 yards. Allen caught his 100^th reception this season to become the sixth wide receiver to have at least 5 seasons with 100 or more receptions.

Big Changes Lead to No Points

For the first time this season, Bailey Zappe was given the chance to start at quarterback for New England, but the adjustment didn’t lead to an improved offense. The Patriots failed to score a touchdown for the 4^th time this year and failed to score a single point for the 2^nd time this season.

Zappe recorded 141 yards on 13/25 passing against the Chargers in his 3^rd career start. This comes after his 54 yards on 9/14 passing performance against the Giants last week.

“Offense starts with me”, said Bailey Zappe. “I got to make plays towards the end. I got to throw better balls. I got to make balls catchable, especially in conditions like today”.

New England’s offensive struggles have become the norm throughout the season. The Patriots offense ranks in the bottom ten of total yards, yards per game, total points, and points per game.

“It’s a very simple game. You’ve got to score points,” said David Andrews. “You’ve got to score points to have a chance to win. You can boil it down to whatever you want, but at the end of the day you have to score points. We’ve got to find ways to generate more points”.

Because of New England’s inability to score points, they are 2-6 in one score games.

Defense Alone Doesn’t Win Championships

The New England Patriots defense continues to play at a high level against an explosive offense. The Patriot defense held the Chargers to 241 total yards and kept them out of the endzone in the defeat on Sunday.

The New England defense has lost many key players from injuries but have maintained steady. In the past 3 games, New England has only allowed 26 total points.

“I know we lost a lot of guys from injuries, but this is the league where [it’s a] next man up mentality,” said Jahlani Tavai. “It’s on guys like myself and [Jabrill Peppers] to step up to the challenge and step up to the opportunity”.

“I’m proud of the guys on defense,” said Tavai. “Is it good enough? I believe so. But it’s not our standard”.

With this lost, the Patriots have become the first team since 1938 to lose three straight games allowing less than 10 total points.

Up Next

The Patriots have to make a quick turnaround, as they face the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on Thursday. Meanwhile, the LA Chargers will return home to welcome the Denver Broncos on Sunday.