Here’s our weekly look at the key plays in the Patriots’ game after reviewing the film.
Melvin Gordon’s 87-yard touchdown run — what happened?
Defensive end Cassius Marsh had control of the edge . . .
But Marsh got walled off and wiped out, while safety Patrick Chung shot the wrong gap . . .
While safety Duron Harmon got turned around the wrong way . . .
And it was off to the races for Gordon.
Replacing Hightower
On rushing downs, the Patriots moved linebacker Kyle Van Noy to Donta Hightower’s spot on the edge, and used linebackers David Harris and Elandon Roberts on the inside.
But on obvious passing downs, Van Noy moved back to middle linebacker.
Advertisement
Defending the Patriots
The Chargers did a good job of stacking the line of scrimmage and disguising which players were rushing and dropping.
And they consistently brought an extra defender into the box to stop the run.
Off his game
Quarterback Tom Brady didn’t consistently see the field well. On third and 14, instead of checking down to either of his wide open running backs for a potential catch-and-run . . .
Brady chucked it deep to receiver Chris Hogan in double coverage, and was lucky it wasn’t intercepted.
Protecting Brady
Running back James White wasn’t just great catching the ball. He once again had an excellent game in pass protection.
| KC (81) | NO (76) | HOU (65) | CAR (70) | TB (74) | NYJ (68) | ATL (74) | LA (86) | Tot (594) | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G Shaq Mason | 81 | 76 | 65 | 70 | 74 | 68 | 74 | 86 | 594 | 100.0% |
| G Joe Thuney | 81 | 76 | 65 | 70 | 74 | 68 | 74 | 86 | 594 | 100.0% |
| C David Andrews | 81 | 76 | 65 | 70 | 74 | 68 | 74 | 86 | 594 | 100.0% |
| QB Tom Brady | 81 | 76 | 65 | 70 | 74 | 68 | 74 | 86 | 594 | 100.0% |
| LT Nate Solder | 81 | 76 | 64 | 70 | 74 | 66 | 74 | 86 | 591 | 99.5% |
| TE Rob Gronkowski | 78 | 46 | 64 | 70 | 0 | 63 | 71 | 86 | 478 | 80.5% |
| WR Brandin Cooks | 67 | 65 | 58 | 64 | 72 | 66 | 70 | 82 | 544 | 91.6% |
| WR Chris Hogan | 73 | 65 | 59 | 68 | 74 | 63 | 59 | 75 | 536 | 90.2% |
| OT LaAdrian Waddle | 8 | 0 | 65 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 51 | 130 | 21.9% |
| RT Marcus Cannon | 81 | 76 | 0 | 70 | 74 | 68 | 74 | 35 | 478 | 80.5% |
| WR Danny Amendola | 32 | 0 | 32 | 36 | 55 | 29 | 38 | 32 | 254 | 42.8% |
| RB Dion Lewis | 6 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 18 | 29 | 26 | 30 | 149 | 25.1% |
| FB James Develin | 19 | 24 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 25 | 24 | 29 | 165 | 27.8% |
| RB Rex Burkhead | 10 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 27 | 58 | 9.8% |
| RB James White | 43 | 30 | 32 | 43 | 35 | 29 | 23 | 20 | 255 | 42.9% |
| TE Dwayne Allen | 27 | 46 | 17 | 9 | 50 | 6 | 20 | 20 | 195 | 32.8% |
| RB Mike Gillislee | 24 | 30 | 21 | 18 | 24 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 156 | 26.3% |
| WR Phillip Dorsett | 18 | 32 | 7 | 9 | 20 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 113 | 19.0% |
| WR Matt Slater | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 1.3% |
| TE Jacob Hollister | 0 | 16 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 40 | 6.7% |
| OT Cam Fleming | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1.2% |
Follow Ben Volin on Twitter @BenVolin.