Patriots-Chargers Highs and Lows
FOXBORO (CBS) - WBZ-TV's Levan Reid breaks down all the highs and lows for the New England Patriots 35-21 win over the San Diego Chargers.
Final Thoughts
- It was good too see Chad Ochocinco have an alright game. Both of his catches received huge applause here at the stadium.
- Devin McCourty is so far having a second year slump. There must be a book on him because teams are throwing his way and Devin is getting beat. This is the second game in a row that he's looked lost. Vincent Jackson had a field day, and Philips Rivers had a lot of fun picking on McCourty. Rivers and Jackson connected for 58 yards on the Chargers final touchdown drive.
- The Pats have to do better on third downs. The Chargers beat them up on third downs, converting 10 of 12 to keep drives alive. This defense has to be a growing concern. They let go people in the secondary this offseason and they have been torched in the first two games. They need to figure something out.
- Okay, this game was all about one hand washing the other. The Pats defense would get a turnover and the offense would turn it into points. Whether it be a goal line stand that turned into a 99 yard drive or a fumble recovery that turned into a touchdown drive that put the Pats up 14. The Patriots are not good enough to have their offense get the job done alone. Against the Chargers, the defense helped out a ton. Rivers was good, but his team's hiccups were crucial and the Pats took advantage of them and turned then into points.
- They are 2-0, but the Pats can not be happy with this win. They did not close this team out when they had them down. If they keep letting teams back into games, some of their good fortunes will turn the other way.
Pats win 35-21
Third Quarter
The Highs:
- On the first play of the quarter the Pats come out moving. Brady goes 30-yards to Gronkowski, with the yards after the catch playing a big part of this play.
- On the Chargers first possession of the quarter, their long drive ends with a Sergio Brown interception. The Pats defense making big plays when they need to.
The Lows:
- However, also on the Chargers first possession, they hit on a third down play to keep the ball moving. They hit on another third down play, this time a Jacob Hester runs for 12 yards.
- The Pats are getting injured in this game. So far rookie corner Ras-I Dowling has gone down, Albert Haynesworth took a mighty fall but did return, punter Zoltan Mesko is getting looked at on the sidelines, and Patrick Chung has a hand injury. Guys are coming back but they are missing downs.
20 to 7 Pats after 3
Second Quarter
The Highs:
- The Chargers get deep in the Patriots zone, and they hold them at the goal line on three straight plays. 4th and goal and the Pats hold them at the goal line as Jerod Mayo stuffs Mike Tolbert. Great stop. Pats get the ball on downs.
- New England gets the ball back and starts driving. Brady hits Ochocinco on a 30-yard pass play. Stevan Ridley gets in on the action and he's running the ball well also. The Pats keep it moving, as Brady scrambles for a play and hits Deion Branch for 19 outside of the pocket. That leads to a 10-yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski. It's the second week in a row the Pats march 99-yards for a touchdown. On this drive Brady passes Jim Kelly for 17th all-time in career passing yardage.
Read: Levan Reid's Patriots Blog
- Vince Wilfork comes up with an interception on a Phillip Rivers pass right before the half. He makes a 28-yard return on his first career interception. The Pats get the ball with nine seconds on the clock and they go 18 yards on three plays, setting up Stephen Gostkowski for a 47 yard field goal.
The Lows:
- The Pats open the quarter with the ball and on a third and goal play from the four yard line, Brady over throws a wide open Deion Branch. They had to settle for three points.
- Chargers ball and on a third and three play, they go to Vincent Jackson for a 28-yard completion with Kyle Arringtton on the coverage. The next play, Tolbert snags a completion where he bullied the Pats for 21-yards. The Pats continue to struggle on third downs. On another third down play and the Pats defense gets called for a hold.
- Vincent Jackson is lighting up the Pats secondary; he has four catches for 92 yards.
Pats up 20 to 7 at the half
First Quarter
The Highs:
- The Patriots defense took the field first and they held San Diego. The Chargers moved the ball but had nothing doing. They were forced to punt thanks to good team defense by New England.
- On the Pats first offensive possession they came up with a big third down play. The best part is it was Chad Ochocinco with a great catch, while he was being held. The crowd was loud and showed Ocho their appreciation. That led to a 14-yard Aaron Hernandez touchdown catch on the very next play. The Pats offense looks to be picking up right where they left off last week in Miami.
- The Pats moved the ball down the field to end the first quarter.
The Lows:
- Brady was sacked during the Pats first drive as Rob Gronkowski was trying to block Shaun Phillips. The block just never happened. Phillips could be a problem if the Pats keep trying to use that blocking scheme.
- On the Chargers second possession on a 3rd and 5, the Pats got pressure on Rivers, and when he threw into quadruple coverage it ended up being a completion to Malcolm Floyd. On the next 3rd down play, Rivers hit Floyd on a 36-yard completion. It was over Devin McCourty and that led to a 10-yard touchdown run by Ryan Matthews. The Pats defense is had a lot of trouble getting off the field on third downs.
Game tied at 7 after one
