Chargers light up the Pats secondary cruise to victory

The Chargers won the coin toss for the first time this season and decided to receive. It was pretty much downhill from there for the Patriots. On the Chargers first play from scrimmage Philip Rivers found Vincent Jackson 48-yards down field to set the tone for the evening. Rivers made it clear that the Patriots corner Deltha O’Neal would be his target of choice for the evening. The Chargers averaged 11.3 yards per passing play as Rivers went 18-27 for 306 yards and three touchdowns. In this rematch of the 2007 AFC Championship game one of these clubs finally showed some promise to possibly make a return trip. Without the quick strike offense that was so lethal for the Patriots last season the Patriots defense must play much better. To this point they have been incapable of doing so. With wins against only Kansas City, New York, and San Fransisco the Patriots have left more questions than answers.

Down 17-3 midway through the third quarter the Patriots penetrated deep into the redzone and seemed poised to get back into the game. From the Chargers 29 Matt Cassel found Sammy Morris on a short pass that went for 28-yards to the one-yard line. After two incomplete Cassel passes and a Canadian Thanksgiving stuffing of Sammy Morris the Patriots were faced with a fourth and goal. Cassel tried to scramble into the endzone on fourth down but was stopped at the two. Bill Belichick shed some light on that sequence of plays after the game, “We just couldn’t get it in down there.” The ever poetic Belichick would add, “We weren’t able to make the plays and they made them, that’s why they won tonight.” With all that explained I guess the game plan for next week against Denver will be, make plays.

With the Chargers backed up on their own 2-yard line the Patriots defense desperately needed a stop. But none was to be had, on 2nd and 6 Philip Rivers found Vincent Jackson 59-yards down the field, clearly eliminating any chance of the Patriots capitalizing on field position. Three plays later Rivers found Antonio Gates in the endzone to put the Chargers lead a 24-3 and effectively end any chance of a New England comeback. Two Nate Kaeding field goals and a garbage time touchdown from Sammy Morris finished the scoring off in the Patriots humbling 30-10 defeat.

The only good news Sunday came from Patriots owner Robert Kraft who delivered the message from Tom Brady’s surgery at Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles. According to Kraft the surgery went well and Brady the league’s reigning MVP will return to Boston for rehab soon.

Coincidentally the Patriots will also be returning to the Boston area for rehab.

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