Patriots Week 8 Recap: Team Gets Huge Statement Win Over Chargers
A week coming off of a blowout win over the New York Jets, the New England Patriots faced a tough foe heading out west to Los Angeles in Week 8 to face Justin Herbert and the Chargers.
No win is ever pretty, but New England stole a win and got a very well-earned victory, as they now will head back to Foxboro with a 4-4 record.
So, how did we get to this win? Well, as always, let’s break it down!
A First Half Offensive Struggle Turned into a Second Half Comeback
The story coming into the game was that the Los Angeles Chargers had the worst run defense in the league. So, how much would they use Damien Harris?
It looked like that was going to be the plan, but it appeared we saw a lot more throwing than rushing in the first half. By the end of the day, it was a pretty even count between passing and rushing though, and at the end of the day, Damien Harris had 80 yards and a touchdown. A very balanced day all in all for the run game, something we love to see.
Now for the passing, the first half was a struggle for the rookie QB, Mac Jones, and that is expected out of a rookie. There are going to be growing pains for him and the team. Jones ended up overthrowing roughly eight passes in that first half, before going to the locker room down 14-13.
The second half though was a different animal. We saw a very poised and calm Mac Jones who led the offense very well. The most impressive part of that second half was with the lead in the fourth quarter. The offense was able to milk 7 minutes off the clock to give the Chargers roughly 2 minutes to come back from two scores.
A very impressive day overall for the offense and a bright spot for a team that got a big win in Week 8.
At the end of the day, Mac Jones was 18 for 35 with 218 yards.
Defense Showed Out and Showed Up for the Patriots in Week 8.
It was a bumpy first drive for the defense on Sunday afternoon, giving up a touchdown on some big plays. The squad was locked in after that, only giving up two other touchdowns after that first drive.
They intercepted QB, Justin Herbert, twice, both by former Charger, Adrian Phillips. One of those Interceptions was the one that decided the game.
Matt Judon is an absolute freak on the field, the linebacker recorded 1.5 sacks bringing his total on the season to 8 sacks.
What had started as what seemed like a mess to start the game turned out to be one of the reasons the Patriots were able to walk away with a win in Week 8.
Wrapping Up a Huge Patriots Week 8 Win.
Looking at it, 4-4 is a lot better than 3-5. Of course, it is. This win not only meant being back to a five hundred record, it really puts away the questions of, “can this team win against playoff-caliber teams?” This was something the Patriots struggled with all season. They couldn’t close out Tampa Bay, and they were oh so close to beating the Cowboys just two weeks ago.
When the time was right, the team was able to step up in a big way. Not only was that because of the Pick-6, but the biggest factor to me was that drive where the offense was able to milk roughly 7 minutes off the clock. It showed a lot towards Mac Jones on how he was able to control that drive.
Now, as for what is next for this team. In Week 9 they will head to Carolina to face the Panthers on Sunday at 1 pm. The Patriots will look to make it to an above five hundred record before heading home.
Photo Courtesy: Meg Oliphant/Getty Images
-Jeff Hoak (@jeffhoak1)
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