The LA Chargers got absolutely outclassed by the New England Patriots in Week 13.
The LA Chargers continued their losing ways in Week 13 as they were throughout dismantled by the New England Patriots. This was by far the most embarrassing loss in a season full of embarrassing losses and it is clear that this team is not playing for Anthony Lynn any longer.
What makes this blowout even worse is the fact that the Patriots are not the same Patriots from years past. This is a team that has had success against good teams this year but has struggled at other times.
At the absolute worst the Chargers are just as talented as the Patriots. However, realistically, the Chargers have more overall talent on their roster than New England. The difference is the coaching staff.
We all knew that there was a massive difference between the two coaching staffs but the question was how big of a difference that would make on the game. The answer is a huge difference, as evident from the final score margin.
As we do with every loss, here are the good, bad and ugly things from Week 13.
The good:
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing. This game was a disgrace. This was a team that seemingly did not even want to be there. Can’t blame them when their head coach literally admits to the media that he told the team that the season is over.
You don’t do that. Everyone knows the season is over but to outright admit to the media that you told your players that is so terrible. So, so, so terrible
The bad:
There were so many ugly things in this game that it is almost hard to pick out what was simply bad and not outright ugly. Let’s take a crack at it.
Justin Herbert
I know, it has become sacrilegious to say something bad about Justin Herbert as a Charger fan but the fact of the matter is that he was not good in this game. He wasn’t just “not good” but he was bad.
Yes, I know, he did not have the best circumstances. The offensive line was horrid and he does not have the best leadership. However, he still missed some throws and struggled against Bill Belichick’s defense.
It did not really matter either way but this game showcased that Herbert has carried this coaching staff this season. The only reason why the Chargers have been in most of these games against better teams is because of Herbert. When he does not have his usual elite performance the rest of the team and coaching really gets exposed.
Herbert will be fine. This one bad performance won’t mean anything long-term. But let’s not pretend like it wasn’t a bad game for the rookie.
The run defense:
To be fair, the defense was not outright terrible in this one, which might sound weird considering how many points they let up. The Patriots had an excellent scripted first drive in which the run defense was really exposed, outside of that, it was not as terrible as it could have been.
The defense was not helped out by the fact that the special teams allowed 14 points mixed with terrible field position both because of the special teams and because of turnovers.
They still were not good, hence why they are in the bad, but they definitely were not as bad as the final score may indicate.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports – LA Chargers
The ugly:
Special teams
We all know that the LA Chargers have a historically bad special teams this season. Somehow, someway, the Chargers managed to one-up themselves in this game. Let’s look at the list of things the special teams did in this game:
- Punt return touchdown
- Blocked field goal touchdown
- Missed field goal
- 12 men on the field during a punt
- 10 men on the field during a punt (twice)
- 63-yard punt return
The only thing that this game missed was a muffed punt or a fumble on a kickoff return. If that would have happened then the Chargers would have literally done just about everything wrong that a special teams unit could possibly do.
There is nothing special about this group.
The offensive line
This is part of the reason why Justin Herbert was bad in this game but man, was the offensive line bad in this one. Storm Norton made his first career start and it showed as he was awful in this game.
The coaching
I mean, there was nothing that really stood out from a playcalling standpoint but the coaching staff is so awful that I just wanted to remind everyone. There is a reason why the Patriots throttled the Chargers despite having an arguably worse roster. There is a reason why they scored zero points.
Oh wait, there was one terrible coaching decision that the team made.
Keeping Justin Herbert in the game
This was absolutely inexcusable. This was the worst coaching decision that was made all season and that is saying something. There is zero reason to keep Justin Herbert in the game after he threw his second interception and is down 35-0, ESPECIALLY with how bad the offensive line was playing today.
The Chargers are lucky that Justin Herbert did not get hurt in this game. He caught hit low a few times in this game and after watching what happened to Joe Burrow two weeks ago you would think that the Chargers would have at least an ounce of common sense.
It was 45-0 at the end of the game and they had the common sense to sit Keenan Allen and other starters. However, Anthony Lynn just could not muster up the logic to take his FRANCHISE quarterback out of the game.
And what do you know? Herbert got blown up on a blitz on that last drive. I get that it is football and injuries are ALWAYS a possibility, but this is just outright malpractice.
If I was the general manager of the Chargers I would have stormed out of my luxury box down to the sidelines and fired Anthony Lynn ON THE SPOT for keeping Justin Herbert in this game. You risked the future of the franchise, who had already been hit hard a few times, in a five-possession game.
It is an absolute joke.