New England Patriots-Los Angeles Chargers Snaps & Grades: Zero-Minus?!

Patriots Country breaks down the numbers and implications behind the Pats’ playing time in New England’s Week 13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

FOXBORO — As the New England Patriots prepare to move forward from their 6-0 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 13, (dropping their record to a conference-worst 2-10) they continue to take stock into their performance on both sides of the ball.

Despite being assured of their second straight losing season, there are plenty of areas in which the Patriots will seek improvement. While game-film analysis will be the main focus, a look at playing time may assist the Pats in helping to devise effective strategies moving forward.

Here is a look at the Patriots offensive and defensive snap counts from last Sunday’s loss, along with a grade for each positional group.

OFFENSE

On offense, the Pats overall snap count was 64 versus the Chargers.

NFL Game Summary: New England Patriots vs. Los Angeles Chargers 3 Dec. 2023 - Offense Snaps / NFL Copyright © 2023 by The National Football League

QUARTERBACK

Making his first start of the season, Zappe was unable to provide a much-needed offensive spark, thus leading the Pats to a scoreless effort against the Chargers. Though he turned in a few noteworthy throws — the best of which came on a 21-yard completion to Parker on a third-quarter second-and-5 — his struggles with accuracy doomed the Pats progress on more than one occasion.  Zappe exhibited greater downfield vision and better protection of the football than incumbent starter Mac Jones. However, the 24-year-old’s tendency to hold on to the ball led to his taking five sacks, including back-to-back takedowns in the fourth quarter, which knocked New England out of field goal range.

Grade: C-

RUNNING BACKS

Running back Rhamondre Stevenson suffered an ankle injury while attempting to secure a first down on second-and 5 at the Chargers 31 yard-line with 4:25 left in the first quarter. While initial x-rays on his ankle were reportedly negative, Stevenson will be sidelined for at least a “few weeks.” Prior to his exit, Stevenson had earned 39 yards on nine carries. 

In Stevenson’s absence, Ezekiel Elliott assumed the role of lead back. Despite dealing with a thigh injury for the majority of the week, he carried the ball 17 times for 52 yards — proving himself capable of keeping the Patriots ground game moving. Elliott also caught four passes for 40 yards, including a screen catch for 23 yards. Save for a fumble which was recovered by receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, Elliott turned in a solid performance. 

Grade: C+

RECEIVERS

New England was already without the services of rookie receivers Demario Douglas (concussion) and Kayshon Boutte (illness, shoulder.) DeVante Parker led the group with six caches for 64 yards. Second-year speedster Tyquan Thornton had New England’s only offensive highlight on a 39-yard backfield run. For as much promise as the Baylor product has when it comes to speed, his abilities to run routes and secure the ball down field have kept him from reaching his full potential — his drop of a well-placed deep pass from Zappe at the Chargers’ 25-yard line being a prototypical example. In total, New England’s receiving corps has yet to provide either of their quarterbacks with a complementary effort. 

Grade: C-

TIGHT ENDS

Once again, New England’s trio of ‘tight endage’ was missing in action for the majority of the afternoon. Hunter Henry caught two of his four targets for 15 yards, despite playing on 73 percent of the team’s snaps on offense. Neither Pharaoh Brown, nor Mike Gesicki secured a singe catch, with the latter aligning on only six of the Pats offensive plays. Despite Brown’s contributions to the blocking game, the conspicuous absence of the tight ends from the Pats offensive game plan remains puzzling.    

Grade: D

New England Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe (4) throws a pass against the Los Angeles Chargers in the first quarter at Gillette Stadium / Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

OFFENSIVE LINE

While New England’s offensive line had begun to show signs of improvement in recent weeks, the unit took a step back against the Chargers. Team captain and center David Andrews, right tackle Mike Onwenu and right guard Sidy Sow went the distance by taking all 54 snaps. At left guard, Cole Strange saw action on 94 percent of the Pats plays, with rookie Atonio Mafi providing relief on four snaps. Trent Brown (43 snaps) and Conor McDermott (22 snaps) shared time at left tackle, with McDermott being whistled for a 12 men on the field-penalty when relieving Brown. Overall, the line was credited with the responsibility for four of Zappe’s five sacks, thus providing inadequate protection for the second-year quarterback. 

Grade: D

DEFENSE

On defense, the Pats overall snap count was 61 versus the Chargers.

NFL Game Summary: New England Patriots vs. Los Angeles Chargers 3 Dec. 2023 - Defense Snaps / NFL Copyright © 2023 by The National Football League

DEFENSIVE LINE

The Patriots defensive line held the the triumvirate of running backs Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelly, and quarterback Justin Herbert to just 29 yards on 24 carries for a 1.2-yard average — the fewest rushing yards allowed since the team held the Miami Dolphins to 15 yards in Oct. 2015. Rookie Keion White was the standout along the line, credited with three run stuffs. Third-year tackle Christian Barmore also chipped in a tackle for loss. 

Grade: A

LINEBACKERS

New England’s corps of linebackers played an integral role in holding the Chargers to only 214 net yards of offense, while allowing only five third-down conversions on 15 attempts. Jahlani Tavai and Ja'Whaun Bentley each logged eight tackles. Bentley finished with two run stuffs while Tavai was three. Josh Uche was credited with stuffing the run twice, including a notable stop of Ekeler. Mack Wilson, Sr made his presence felt by breaking up one pass, while earning a tackle for loss. 

Grade: A

Defenseless: Patriots' Awful Offense Negates Inspired Play

CORNERBACKS

The Pats defense was also effective when defending the pass, thanks to a serviceable effort from the cornerbacks. By playing mostly zone coverage, the Pats were able to take away Herbert’s preferred concepts.Jonathan Jones and J.C. Jackson combined for 10 tackles. Still, it should be noted that Chargers receivers helped the cornerbacks by committing a handful of drops, including one by rookie receiver Quentin Johnston with Jackson in coverage. In short, the unit made plays when needed, oftentimes in adverse weather conditions. 

Grade: C+ 

SAFETIES

Fourth-year safety Kyle Dugger led the positional group with five tackles, while once again taking 100 percent of New England’s snaps on defense. Jabrill Peppers and Jalen Mills made plays both on and away from the ball, while the Pats alternated the coverage on Ekeler between linebackers and defensive backs. Rookie Marte Mapu continues to be used sparingly (three snaps) while veteran Adrian Phillips was relegated solely to special teams duty. Overall, the trio of Dugger, Peppers and Mills provided a strong presence in New England’s defensive backfield. 

Grade: B

Up Next:

New England faces a short week of preparation, as they are set for a Week 14 matchup on Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. 

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