Patriots - Chargers, Who Has the Razor's Edge? Key Matchups
The New England Patriots take on the San Diego Chargers this week on Sunday Night Football. The game will be televised by NBC and their announcing crew of Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth will be on the call. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.
The Patriots (9-3) had their seven game winning streak snapped in Green Bay last week 26-21. The defense had troubles stopping QB Aaron Rodgers, especially on third down and the offense got off to a slow start in each half.
The Patriots flew directly to California after the game to work out in the San Diego area and cut down on the travel time this week which will cut down on jet lag and give extra time to prepare for the game.
The Chargers (8-4) used a late drive to defeat Baltimore 34-33 on Sunday. After dropping three in a row, the Chargers have rebounded and now won three straight.
QB Philip Rivers had a big game on Sunday in Baltimore passing for 376 yards and leading the team on a late touchdown drive to come from behind and beat the Ravens.
Series History:
The Patriots and Chargers have met a total of 39 times in their history with the Patriots holding a 22-15-2 edge overall in the series. New England also has a slim 10-7-1 lead in games played on the road. The Patriots have won the last two contests, the latest an early season 35-21 win in Foxboro back in 2011.
Here is a look at some of the PatsFans.com key matchups and who holds the Razor’s Edge.
Patriots RBs vs Chargers Front Seven- Razor’s Edge Patriots
The Patriots have the pieces in place with LaGarrette Blount and Jonas Gray to utilize the power running game and control the tempo and open up play action passing. Last week they got away from the running game a little bit, some say too early against the Packers when they fell into an early hole.
The Chargers are 15th against the run this season, Eric Weddle has been very active in run support coming up to support the front seven. They need to stick with the running game more this week and use their two big backs to wear down the Bolts defense. Perhaps see more of Gray who has been amongst the missing since his big game in Indianapolis.
Patriots WRs vs Chargers Secondary-Razor’s Edge Patriots
The Patriots passing offense which has been on fire for the past two months had a bit of a hiccup against the Packers last week. This week with Julian Edelman banged up a bit, the onus will move to Rob Gronkowski and Brandon LaFell. LaFell will be matched up with Brandon Flowers. Many expect the Patriots to go away from the tough Flowers this week, but I think this is a matchup the big, physical LaFell can win. Look for more two TE looks this week as the team tries to limit Edelman’s snaps. Tim Wright should see more action and more passes thrown his way, other than just when the team gets in the red zone.
The Chargers have been good against the pass, allowing only 221.3 yards per game (6th in the NFL), they have a good secondary although they’re missing rookie Jason Verrett due to injury. They don’t have a lot of sacks (18) but former Colts DE Dwight Freeney, Corey Liuget and Jerry Attaochu can get after the passer.
The key here is running the ball successfully, getting Weddle to come up in support and freeze him with play action. The tight ends and LaFell will find some room to maneuver in the middle of the field if they can do that.
Chargers RBs vs NE Front Seven- Razor’s Edge Patriots
The Bolts had what they thought was a three-headed monster in the running game this summer with Ryan Matthews, Danny Woodhead and Donald Brown. But Matthews has been dinged up all year, and Woodhead was lost to IR with a broken leg.
Brandon Oliver had big games in back-to-back weeks but running the ball has been an issue for San Diego. They did have signs of life with two good games in a row before struggling a bit against the Ravens.
The Patriots have improved against the run recently, Vince Wilfork and Alan Branch have been solid and Dont’a Hightower as well as Pat Chung have been excellent in run support. Look for the Patriots to try to make the Chargers a one-dimensional team by trying to take away Matthews and the running game early in this one.
Chargers WRs vs NE Secondary- Razor’s Edge Patriots
Philip Rivers is having an excellent season completing 69.1 percent of his passes for more than 3200 yards and 25 touchdown passes. He has a talented and deep receiving core led by 2nd year WR Keenan Allen, Malcolm Floyd, Eddie Royal and TE Antonio Gates. They like to spread the ball around and when hot, can light it up with anyone.
The Patriots counter with the tandem of Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner who have been very solid this season. Jamie Collins has been somewhat under the radar at LB and pickup Akeem Ayers seems to make a big play every week.
The key here will be the pass rush, Rivers has been sacked 24 times this season and the Bolts are on their fifth center as injuries have ravaged the position. Look for some A-gap pressure by Hightower. The Patriots could really use a healthy Dominique Easley this week providing interior pressure as well. Easley has been hampered all year from his off-season knee surgery and hasn’t even scratched the surface on his potential yet.
Special Teams- Razor’s Edge Chargers
San Diego has two excellent special teams’ pieces in kicker Nick Novak and punter Mike Scifries. Novak has missed only one field goal all season and Scifries is averaging 45.7 yards per punt.
The Patriots tandem of Ryan Allen and Stephen Gostkowski has been solid this season although the normally very reliable Gostkowski missed a 47 yarder in GB last week. The Patriots return units have been hot lately but with Julian Edelman dinged up, may take a back seat in this one.
Last week the Chargers used the curious habit of squibbing their kicks in Baltimore rather than trust their coverage units and it really cost them in terms of field position. I wouldn’t expect a similar blunder this week.
Prediction:
As talented as the Chargers are on offense with Rivers and his supporting cast, one thing that sticks out is that their offense has scored 99 points less than New England’s. One reason for that is the lack of consistency in their running game.
The Chargers for the most part have been one-dimensional and it costs them once they hit the red-zone. That will be a point of emphasis again this week for the Patriots defense. Rivers and Co. will get their yards but the key will be stopping them on 3rd down and in the red zone.
Look for the Patriots to return to a balanced attack on Sunday night. They’re at their best when they run the ball effectively as it opens up play action. Josh McDaniels will have to mix things up and keep SD guessing. Patriots pull away with a late score, win a tough road game 28-17.
Patriots Player to Watch- Brandon LaFell
LaFell has really come on since the summer and the first two games of the season when he had zero catches. He’s become a big part of the offense and being a bigger, more physical wide receiver, he allows Brady to throw the ball in places he couldn’t before. LaFell already has reached career highs in catches, yards and touchdowns after 12 games in 2014.
With Julian Edelman hurting, he’ll have to pick up more of the offense this week along with Rob Gronkowski and with his confidence soaring right now, look for him to be a big part of the game plan.
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