Greg Bedard of BostonSportJournal.com joined Felger and Mazz on Tuesday, as he does every Tuesday during the football season to discuss the latest with the New England Patriots following the team’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Bedard gives us his 3 up and 3 down for the team in the 6-0 loss to the Chargers.
Before 3 Up and 3 Down, here are some game notes courtesy of NFL.com…
The New England Patriots fell to 1-6 at home this season (1-5 at Gillette Stadium as their game against the Indianapolis Colts in Germany was considered a home game) on Sunday in their loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. It was the second time in 2023 that they have been shutout at Gillette Stadium.
There have been a total of 39 points scored in the last three games for the Patriots. They are being outscored 26-13 by their opponents.
Bailey Zappe made his first start of the season for the Patriots in their loss to the Chargers. Zappe completed 13 of his 25 pass attempts for a total of 141 yards.
DeVante Parker led all Patriots pass catchers with 64 yards receiving. It’s the second time he’s led the team in receiving yards in a game this season, the first coming in week 2 in the team’s loss to the Miami Dolphins.
The Patriots loss to the Chargers was the 10th loss of the season for them, which marks the first time since 2000 that the Patriots have registered a double digit number of losses in a regular season.
Ezekiel Elliott led all Patriots rushers with 52 rushing yards in the loss. Elliott is now up to 429 rushing yards this season.
The longest Patriots drive in the loss to the Chargers went 59 total yards and lasted 7 minutes and 42 seconds. The drive ended in a fumble by running back Rhamondre Stevenson. Stevenson had his ankle injured by a hip-drop tackle on the play.
3 UP
Christian Barmore
Oct 22, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore (90) reacts after a sack during the first half against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium. Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Greg Bedard: Same thing he’s been doing all season.
Jonathan Jones
Sep 10, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones (31) prepares for a game against the Philadelphia Eagles during the warm-up period at Gillette Stadium. Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
Greg Bedard: I thought he was really good. Broke up some passes.
David Andrews
Dec. 6, 2020; Inglewood, CA: New England Patriots center David Andrews points to the Los Angeles Chargers defense during a game at SoFi Stadium. (Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports)
Greg Bedard: I thought he was tremendous. He had one of his best run blocking games of the season.
3 DOWN
Michael Onwenu
PHILADELPHIA, PA: Mike Onwenu of the New England Patriots walks off the field after a preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on Aug. 19, 2021. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Greg Bedard: I had him for 11 “minus” plays in this game. I don’t know what the hell happened to him. He was awful in this game. A week after he had the best offensive line performance of the season. He must be sick. He must have caught that bug that Deatrich Wise and Shaun Wade had, because I’ve never seen him play like that.
Bailey Zappe
Dec 3, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien talks with quarterback Bailey Zappe (4) as they take on the Los Angeles Chargers in the second quarter at Gillette Stadium. Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Greg Bedard: He graded out similar to Mac Jones in a lot of games that I’ve had mac Jones is one of my three down. People will say he didn’t turn the ball over, well he almost did on the final drive a couple of times. He was just okay. Like I said, he took some of the sacks. He graded out negatively for me.
Trent Brown
BUFFALO, NEW YORK – JANUARY 15: Trent Brown #77 of the New England Patriots walks off the field during halftime /ab at Highmark Stadium on January 15, 2022 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
Greg Bedard: Trent Brown, who now that it’s December we monitor the “give a crap” factor for Trent Brown, just like every other year.
A Bonus 4th Down!
Special Teams
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – NOVEMBER 26: Bryce Baringer #17 of the New England Patriots punts during the third quarter against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on November 26, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
Greg Bedard: Let’s also talk about the special teams. All the people who want Bill back because of his defense, ow about his special teams which freaking blow every single week. How many times is Baringer going to give crappy punts when they’re in a field position game? You could make the argument that special teams lost this game as much as the offense. They were like, I don’t know, -20 on average compared to the Chargers? The Chargers whooped your ass on special teams and you lost.
