Patriots Get First Win Of The Season Against A Good Opponent

By: Steve Atkinson

The Patriots have finally beaten a team with a winning record. They beat the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday proving their record to 4-4 on the season. Mac Jones didn’t have his best game and even admitted to it afterward, but the defense stepped up big with a key interception in the fourth quarter by Adrian Phillips. The Patriots really needed this win after beating the Jets twice and barely beating the Houston Texans. They went on the road and beat a good team with a good quarterback. They now play the Panthers on Sunday in hopes to improve their record to 5-4.

The Patriots did miss opportunities to score touchdowns in this game. They settled for field goals and turned the ball over on downs. Jones, was still under pressure a lot which isn’t his fault the offensive line is wretched. He didn’t turn the ball over which really was a benefit and the defense played better than they have been in recent weeks. Mac Jones took ownership of having not the best day on the field Sunday.

“I definitely didn’t have my best day at all. I think everyone around me had a great day, that’s what football is all about. I have to find ways to improve in that aspect of just being consistent and making the throws I know I can make. The offensive line did a great job of keeping me clean. The receivers were getting open, and the backs were running hard and protecting — same thing with the tight ends, they were getting open. You have to watch the film and look at the X’s and O’s of it. But, I think the overall message is just keep playing. It’s not always going to be perfect. For me, sometimes, that’s really hard because I want it to be better than that because I feel like it falls on my hands a lot because that’s what the quarterback is, which is a good thing. But I can definitely play better, and I’ll put that on me. Everyone around me did a great job; special teams, defense played great. I think we just played together and didn’t quit. The effort was there. The guys around me played well, so that’s all there is to it.”

I think it’s a step in the right direction though. Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry are playing better than they did in the beginning of the season. Even Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Aghlor are adapting well. I think as the season goes on they will be better and improve each week. Now, on defense, I think they miss Stephon Gilmore. They still have holes in the secondary and Jalen Mills isn’t the answer. Bill Belichick praised his team for the good quality win they had.

“A really good win for our team today. The Chargers are a good football team. Coming here and getting the win is a great feeling. Certainly, there are some things that we could have done better. We left some plays on the field, some penalties and non-penalties. We could have coached better, could have played better. We could have taken advantage of a couple of opportunities that we missed on. Again, all and all, we made the plays that we needed to make in the fourth quarter, which is something that we hadn’t done as well earlier in the year. It’s good to see that. It’s good to come out here and get a win. Looking forward to the big game against Carolina. The team had a good week. It’s a big challenge coming here. Two weeks in a row we’ve had fresh teams coming off the bye. The Chargers had a lot of energy. [Chargers Head] Coach [Brandon] Staley does a good job. We put the ball down the field. I thought we played better in the second half until the last two-minute drive, defensively. Offensively, we moved the ball. We would just like to come out with a few more points. I thought [Patriots K] Nick [Folk] kicked well, like he always does. [Patriots WR] Gunner [Olszewski] had some. The punt return team, not just Gunner, had some good returns to put the offense in good position. Obviously, [Patriots DB Adrian Phillips] AP’s two picks were big differences in the game, really counted for 10 points there. That’s pretty much the story.”