Patriots vs Chargers: Two teams heading in opposite directions
The New England Patriots and Los Angeles Chargers are heading in two different directions.
When the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Chargers take the field on Sunday afternoon, we will see two teams in extremely different situations.
Specifically, we will see two teams in completely different situations at the two roles that matter the most on a football team: the head coach and the quarterback.
It’s no secret that the Patriots have struggled mightily at the quarterback position this season. Cam Newton has been a game manager at his best, and a complete disaster at his worst. And from what we’ve seen of Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer, neither of them appears to be the answer, either.
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Despite the Patriots’ struggles this season, however, they still have the best head coach in the NFL, and it’s not particularly close.
Belichick is the only NFL coach to win six titles in the Super Bowl era. His 278 regular season wins are the third most by a head coach in NFL history, behind only Don Shula and George Halas. Only one other active coach—Andy Reid of Kansas City Chiefs—is even above 200. And Belichick’s 31 postseason wins are by far the most in NFL history, and more than double that of any other active coach.
Simply put, Bill Belichick is the greatest coach in the history of the NFL, and there’s no way around it.
But while the Patriots have an all-time great head coach and some not-very-good quarterbacks, the Chargers are in the complete opposite situation.
Rookie signal caller Justin Herbert has taken the league by storm in Los Angeles. In just ten games, Herbert has already surpassed 3,000 passing yards, and he is just six touchdown passes away from breaking the NFL’s rookie record (currently held by Baker Mayfield, who threw 28 touchdowns in 2018). With his incredible arm strength, Herbert figures to be the guy for the Chargers for years to come.
For Herbert’s head coach, Anthony Lynn, however, his days in Los Angeles appear to be much more limited.
Despite Herbert’s record-setting season, the Chargers have stumbled out to a 2-8 start, causing Lynn’s seat to heat up. In particularly, Lynn has come under fire for his handling of situations late in close games, as seven of the Chargers’ eight losses have come by one score, including two in overtime.
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So while the New England Patriots have a legendary head coach, but major issues at the quarterback position, the Chargers have an incredibly talented young quarterback, but serious questions about their coaching.
Talk about polar opposites.
In any case, this combined with the fact that the Patriots are desperately trying to keep their faint playoff hopes alive, should make for an incredibly interesting matchup on Sunday afternoon.