3 Players To Watch in Patriots’ Week 13 Matchup vs. Chargers

Three players to watch for the Patriots in week 13 against the Los Angeles Chargers.

The New England Patriots are refusing to go away quietly, as the team still remains in the playoff hunt at 5-6. Obviously winning out would be their best chance of making the playoffs. However, before we get too ahead of ourselves here, the Patriots need to focus on the game at hand, as they prepare to square off against the 3-8 Los Angeles Chargers. 

One could argue that both New England and the Chargers could easily have better records here, as both have failed to come up with the big plays when the game is on the line. Although, obviously after last week's 20-17 win against the Arizona Cardinals maybe that narrative could be changing for this Patriots team. 

As they start a grueling three-game road trip, it will be important to try their best to drop Los Angeles to 3-9, and their potentially newfound late game heroics could play a big role in doing so. Let's take a look at three players important in defeating the Chargers. 

Adrian Phillips 

Phillips will be playing this game against his former team. While it's unclear how much knowledge Phillips can share about Los Angeles' offense, given that Phillip Rivers is now an Indianapolis Colt and Justin Herbert is now lighting up the scene, it's still fair to assume that Phillips will be a big part of the game plan in shutting down both the run and pass game.

One way in which Phillips can help with that is by keying in on his former teammate, Austin Ekeler. The dual-threat back will be important to keep an eye on as taking him out of the equation puts a lot more pressure on Herbert as a quarterback.  

Bill Belichick will be devising a game plan to confuse Herbert, the rookie quarterback. Belichick, who is informally known by many as the "rookie QB killer," will most assuredly first focus on taking away the run game and also taking away Herbert's check-down man. Belichick will likely force Herbert to beat him through the air, with his arm, against a very good secondary. From there, Belichick and his defensive coaching staff can start to get creative in ways to confuse the youngster. However, all of that falls apart without taking Ekeler out of the equation early. Look for Phillips to be the guy to do that. 

Kyle Dugger

This will likely be one of Dugger's biggest tests of the season. Dugger, the rookie safety, has been fantastic so far this season. He has shown great promise in coverage versus tight ends. With all that he has shown against some of the league's best tight ends, Hunter Henry will still be a huge challenge for him. 

It is yet to be seen how much Dugger will see Henry in man coverage. He will have to be very disciplined in his technique. Henry could really take advantage of Dugger on option routes. Belichick knows this very well, as he spoke a great deal about Henry this week. He even went as far as mentioning how long he's been watching and admiring Henry for. 

Belichick: (Hunter) Henry continues to be a complete and really good football player.

Said he’s been watching Henry throughout his career dating back to when he played at Pulaski Academy.

— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) December 2, 2020

Belichick may have even pursued Henry this offseason, had he not been franchise-tagged by the Chargers. Henry, set to be a free agent again in 2021, could be on the Patriots' radar yet again. 

Keep an eye on Dugger's responsibilities throughout the game. A heavy workload against a tight end like Henry would speak volumes to how much confidence this defensive coaching staff has in the young rookie. 

Cam Newton

Newton will be looking to bounce back from what was one of the worst performances he has had in his career. However, it will not be any easier for Newton, as yet again he should prepare to be under heavy pressure. 

Newton noted this week that he is driven, as he is eager to play his best football, knowing he hasn't done so yet. Newton will have a real opportunity to throw against this Los Angeles secondary, however, only if he can find the time. Joey Bosa and the Chargers' front seven could really make things difficult on Newton if the Patriots decide the gameplan is to sit back and wait for Newton's receivers to get open 15 yards downfield. 

However, in an effort to avoid disaster, New England and Newton will need to make a concerted effort to avoid becoming one-dimensional. That can come with a strong running game to the outside and some designed quarterback runs from Newton. If the Patriots can keep this defense guessing, the hope is that the play-action pass could then open up later in the contest and allow Newton to throw downfield with time. 

I will go ahead and give a personal guarantee that if the play-action pass opens up for Newton and this offense, there is no way they leave this game with a loss.