New England Patriots: A loss to Chargers would end playoff hope

The New England Patriots cannot afford many more losses. They need to take care of business against a bad Los Angeles Chargers team.

With a 5-6 record, the New England Patriots are hanging on to their playoff aspirations by a thread.

There have been numerous occasions this season where they could have pulled off a win in the final moments and fell short, and now they are in a position where the margin of error is extremely slim.

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On Sunday, the Patriots will play the hapless Los Angeles Chargers, who come into the contest at 3-8.

After this matchup, the Patriots play the Los Angeles Rams, the Miami Dolphins, and the Buffalo Bills respectively over their next three games. Combined, those teams are 22-11.

In all probability, the Patriots will not get through that gauntlet without at least one loss. It is imperative that they take care of business against an inferior opponent this weekend.

We are all feeling good coming off of a win against the Arizona Cardinals, but we can’t forget that the Patriots lost to a bad Houston Texans team just two weeks ago. No game is a guaranteed win for this team anymore, so they cannot take the Chargers lightly.

There is plenty of talent on the Chargers; their biggest issue is coaching. Of their eight losses, seven of them were within one possession, and they haven’t lost a game by more than 10. One would think that if their head coach, Anthony Lynn, were doing a better job that the Chargers could easily have a much better record.

The Patriots certainly have the coaching advantage, but they will have their hands full dealing with rookie sensation Justin Herbert. The Chargers quarterback has wildly exceeded expectations and the pass catchers he is surrounded with each bring their own unique skill sets.

Wide receiver Keenan Allen is one of the best route runners in the game. Not only is he elite at creating separation, but he is also extremely good at tracking the ball and making contested catches. He will be one of the toughest assignments of the season for Stephon Gilmore, who made his return from injury last week.

Austin Ekeler is a great pass-catching running back and could be an absolute nightmare for New England’s linebackers. Hunter Henry and Mike Williams are both guys to watch out for as well.

Lest we forget that the Chargers also have one of the best edge defenders in the league in Nick Bosa. The Patriots have a good offensive line, but it will be interesting to see how they handle him.

With how good the Chargers look on paper, it’s definitely strange to see how bad they are. However, the Patriots need to treat this game as if they are the underdogs because in truth they have no chance to make the playoffs if they lose this game on top of their next three being against very good opponents.

Bill Belichick usually has a good game plan, but he will really need to step it up for this matchup. The Patriots season depends on it.