New England Patriots' Week 13 Report Card
Many expected a close one between two teams with similar records in Week 13. Both the 3-8 Los Angeles Chargers and 5-6 New England Patriots were largely given a chance to win this game. While the Patriots would win and improve to 6-6, heading closer to playoff time, none expected it to be in 45-0 drubbing like it ended up being.
Let's take a look at what New England did right to absolutely stomp on the poor Chargers.
Quarterback: B
In our "3 Players to Watch" series, Cam Newton was mentioned as someone who needed to have a bounce back performance after a putrid showing against the Arizona Cardinals. Another heavy point of emphasis pertaining to Newton in that piece was how the quarterback and his offense had to make a concerted effort to avoid becoming one-dimensional. While this game was by no means a statistical showcase by Newton, he and his cohorts from the opening drive script made it very clear that they would be anything but one-dimensional.
Newton and his running backs (with some great play-calling from Josh McDaniels) collaborated to keep the Chargers' front seven guessing. Newton would take off on some QB-designed runs, even a little more than anticipated with a nagging abdominal injury.
Many started to wonder whether Newton should be the guy going forward after Jarrett Stidham would come into the game in garbage time and with a few throws almost match Newton's passing yardage. But don't fool yourself. McDaniels, Bill Belichick, and the rest of the coaching staff are not looking at passing yards or passing touchdowns to determine who their starting quarterback is. Newton did everything asked of him on Sunday, didn't have to air it out too often, looked strong under pressure, looked more poised, and held the glue together on offense. He wound up being a big part of the running game and help put together several scoring drives. He's the guy going forward, there is no question about it at this point.
Running Back: A
New England would rush for 165 yards on the ground. Damien Harris made up 80 of those yards off 16 carries. Harris averaged a great 5.0 yards per carry in this contest. However, it was not just Harris who ran the rock well.
Both Newton and Sony Michel registered over 10 carries respectively. Newton ran well, as discussed before. However, so did Michel, who is trying to break back onto the scene after being upstaged by Harris in his multi-game absence. The Patriots appear to like trotting Newton, Harris, and Michel all onto the field at the same time in order to give defenses headaches. Three capable ball carriers, who all have different rushing styles, can be a huge problem for defenses moving forward. Look for that "pony" package to be used more often.
Wide Receiver: C
One play that really sticks in my craw was a bad drop by Jakobi Meyers on the opening drive. That pass - had it been completed - would have been a 25-yard completion or more, on a nicely placed ball from Newton. While this criticism may seem a little much in 45-0 win, on a drive in which they scored, it speaks to the lack of volume in the passing game on Sunday. New England stuck to what works best for them, which right now is there running game. With little attempts through the air, the mistakes become magnified.
Although, one encouraging sign was from a receiver who I had a lot to say about last week. N'Keal Harry made some plays on Sunday. While not enough to warrant an apology from myself and the rest of the Harry doubters, he ran a strong corner route late in the game, and more importantly made a great play in the redzone on a five-yard touchdown catch. While some have discussed a potential missed OPI call on Harry from this play, we'll still credit Harry with his ability to high-point the ball and haul it in with a defender reaching into his frame. Kudos to Harry here on what otherwise was a rather uneventful day for the Patriots' receivers as a whole.
Tight End: B-
Ryan Izzo would leave the game with a neck injury in the third quarter. Therefore, New England would get to see some Dalton "Rambo" Keene in action. Neither would see a target, which is something that has been almost a weekly occurrence with Newton behind center.
That being said, both held up fine in the blocking game. Keene was watched closely and even showed some promising flashes in that department. We all hope to see more Keene in action, as maybe he can provide a spark that the team really hasn't had at the position with just Izzo there.
It's also worth mentioning here, as we segway into the offensive line, Izzo did also help Michael Onwenu by chipping Pro Bowl defensive end Joey Bosa on plays.
Offensive Line: A
Picking up where we left off, Onwenu was pretty good in this game. He had the very difficult task of taking on Bosa at times. He allowed a QB hit and two pressures, yes, however, for who he is and who Bosa is, most would call that a win.
Onwenu, along with Shaq Mason and David Andrews all showcased a really good ability to reach the second level on run blocks as well. The whole line opened up space for what was the heart of the offense in this game, the running game.
Along with that, Jermaine Eluemunor had a clean sheet in his second game replacing Isaiah Wynn. He has been really solid in his time out there, and if not for the emergence of Onwenu, he probably would have been out there starting at the other tackle spot the whole season.
Defensive Line: A-
The last few weeks have been really strong for Adam Butler. While some say that he is blossoming, I would argue that this is the Butler that we went into the 2020 season with. With a nagging shoulder injury now a thing of the past, Butler has been putting on an impressive showcase, which has especially paid dividends for the New England run defense.
Butler has been a big part in the defensive line's success as of late, however, so have guys like Deatrich Wise, who has quietly been playing well, along with a healthier Lawrence Guy. Isaiah Mack and Akeem Spence have also been solid, most noticeably taking on blockers and allowing for guys like John Simon to come clean up the mess.
Linebackers: A
Josh Uche and Chase Winovich especially made Justin Herbert's day difficult. The defensive line and linebackers worked together to create different blitz stunts that went right through the Los Angeles offensive line like they were Swiss cheese.
Herbert couldn't handle the pressure being put on him by these youngsters and folded like a lawn chair, having a performance that could take him out of the Offensive Rookie of the Year race. Herbert would even throw an interception to Winovich as pressure started to come towards him. This was Winovich's first career interception in the NFL.
Winovich and this group would help the Patriots to accumulate a season-high 26 pressures. They would also do a great job on cleaning up any of the mess from the run game as well.
Secondary: A
The hope is that J.C. Jackson is alright after the leaving the game on Sunday. Before his absence, the tag team of Stephon Gilmore and him were balling yet again. Jackson registered yet another interception in this game. He only allowed one catch on three targets, while Gilmore only allowed one more than him on five targets. Gilmore allowed just 27 yards on those five targets, along with getting his hands in for a pass breakup.
The secondary as a whole would hold up well, holding Herbert to only eight completions and 84 yards passing in man coverage (Anfernee Jennings and Ja'Whaun Bentley would account for Herbert's other two completions that totaled to eight yards). Herbert would finish the day with 209 passing yards and two interceptions.
Special teams: A+
This was the league's best, most well-coached special teams unit against the exact opposite in the league's worst, most poorly-coached special teams unit. It was on full display as the special teams scores came reigning in.
A top notch game from Jake Bailey alone would have netted a good grade on this report card. However, with Gunner Olszewski adding explosion in the punt return game, taking a 70-yarder to the house for his first career score, the unit earns the highest mark possible.
Along those lines, Cody Davis and Justin Bethel jumped in front of a Michael Badgley first-half ending field goal due to missed block assignments on the edge. Davis got his hands on the ball, and Devin McCourty took things into his own hands from there. McCourty would scoop and score on a 44-yard return, capping off the first half. Those highlights would encompass a great day for this special teams unit, along with a terrible one for Los Angeles.
