Patriots blown out by Chargers, 40-7, in another embarrassing showing from Jerod Mayo's team
FOXBORO -- The New England Patriots were blown out on on National TV on Saturday, falling to the Los Angeles Chargers, 40-7. Any hope that the Patriots would build on last weekend's close loss to the Buffalo Bills disappeared quickly at Gillette Stadium.
It was a raw, wet day in Foxboro, and the effort from the Patriots matched the weather. New England was completely outclassed by Los Angeles throughout the game, as the Chargers clinched a playoff by handing the Patriots their biggest loss of the season.
Drake Maye was briefly knocked out of the game with a head injury that he suffered on New England's first possession, and returned with the Patriots down 10-0 early in the second quarter. The quarterback had another turnover -- his 12th of the season -- on a failed lateral, which the Chargers turned into a touchdown.
Maye finished his afternoon 12-of-22 for 117 yards and a touchdown, and also picked up 32 yards on six attempts on the ground. But he looked like a sped-up rookie for much of the contest, and his production was nowhere near enough to keep pace with Justin Herbert and the Chargers.
Herbert was surgical for most of the game, completing 26 of his 38 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns. Chargers rookie receiver Ladd McConkey -- whom Los Angeles drafted 34th overall after the Patriots traded down from that spot -- was a beast with eight receptions for 94 yards and two touchdowns. (Ja'Lynn Polk, who was drafted by the Pats after that trade down, had no receptions on one target on Saturday.)
The Chargers absolutely dominated Jerod Mayo's team on Saturday, outgaining the Patriots 428 to 176. Los Angeles ran 30 more offensive plays than New England, and won the time of possession battle 40:37 to 19:26.
"Really, nothing good to take out of that game today. The lack of execution – look, that's a good football team and well-coached football team. We didn't play well in any phase of the game. No complimentary football, and that's what you get," Mayo said after the loss. "It's very disappointing and it comes back to consistency."
After punting away their first possession, the Chargers scored on seven straight possessions before Taylor Heinicke replaced Herbert at quarterback. Patriots fans started to leave Gillette Stadium in droves after the offense turned the ball over on downs with 5:25 left deep in New England territory, while some of those who remained started a "Fire Mayo" chant.
"They paid to sit on those seats and we have to play better," Mayo said of those chants. "If we played better we wouldn't hear those things."
The Patriots now sit at 3-13 on the year heading into Week 18.
How the Patriots lost to the Chargers on Saturday
As previously stated, the Patriots were outclassed in every way on Saturday.
The Patriots went three-and-out on their first possession, which saw Maye suffer a head injury on a third-and-2 scramble when he was hit helmet-to-helmet by Cam Hart. Maye was evaluated on the sideline and then inside the New England locker room, and missed a series before returning to action.
After Maye departed briefly, Herbert led the Chargers on an 11-play, 91-yard touchdown drive, capped off by a 23-yard scoring strike to Derius Davis. Following a Patriots three-and-out with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, the Chargers added a 27-yard field goal to take a 10-0 lead.
Maye returned after that, but quickly turned it over with as the Patriots tried a little trickeration. Maye seemingly tried to toss a lateral to DeMario Douglas, but the ball was nowhere near the receiver and the Chargers recovered at the New England 44. It was the 29th time the Patriots have fumbled this season, and it cost them -- again.
Nine plays later, Herbert hit Ladd McConkey for a 6-yard touchdown to put the Chargers on top 17-0.
At least the New England offense answered its next time out on the field. Maye hit Kendrick Bourne for 18 yards on a second-and-7, and then ran for 12 yards on second-and-6 a few plays later. The rookie QB capped off the drive by taking advantage of a free play after the Chargers jumped offside, and hit Douglas for a beautiful 36-yard touchdown.
That gave Maye a touchdown pass in eight straight games to set a new Patriots rookie record, surpassing the seven-game streak by Jim Plunkett in 1971.
But the Chargers added a field goal before the break and led 20-7 at halftime. The Chargers didn't punt in the first half as they racked up 249 yards on 44 plays on offense. The Patriots had just 91 yards on 15 offensive plays before halftime, as Los Angeles possessed the ball for 23:30 before the break.
The Patriots weren't much better out of halftime, as a Hunter Henry hold negated a nine-yard pickup by Rhamondre Stevenson on the team's first play. The offense ended up going three-and-out.
Los Angeles' Derius Davis returned New England's punt 93 yards for a touchdown, but it was negated by a holding penalty, which set the Chargers up deep in their own territory. But that was no problem for Herbert and crew, as the QB hit McConkey for a 40-yard touchdown to cap off a 10-play, 94-yard drive to put Los Angeles on top 27-7 midway through the third quarter.
The Patriots did nothing to answer, and actually moved backwards on their next possession. Antonio Gibson lost a yard on a third-and-2 rush to the left, and then Maye was sacked for a 15-yard loss as the offense stayed on the field on fourth down. The Chargers sent a huge blitz at Maye, who should have just thrown it away before he was brought down by Derwin James for a huge loss.
The Chargers took over at the New England 23, and added a field goal a few plays later to take a 30-7 lead.
The Patriots drove into Chargers territory on their next possession, but the drive ended at the L.A. 37 when Maye was sacked by James off the right side. Maye was sacked four times by the Chargers on Saturday.
J.K. Dobbins, who was activated from IR on Friday, found the end zone early in the fourth quarter for his ninth rushing touchdown of the season, putting Los Angeles on top 37-7.
What's next for the New England Patriots?
The Patriots will close out their 2024 season at home against the 12-3 Buffalo Bills next Sunday. It will be their last chance to pick up a fourth win and match last season's win total.
The two teams played each other two weeks ago in Buffalo, with the Bills coming out victorious 24-21 after the Pats had jumped out to a 14-0 lead. Buffalo
