New England Patriots: 3 defensive stars from big victory over the Chargers

The New England Patriots pulled out a massive victory against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 8, and it could end up saving their season. Their record stands at 4-4 right now, entrenching themselves in a tight wild card race that is still very much up for grabs. Had they fallen to 3-5, their path to the playoffs would have been much tougher and much more unlikely.

Now there’s legitimate hope that this team could end up playing football well into January. After dropping close contests to the Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Dallas Cowboys, the Patriots couldn’t afford to do the same this week against the Chargers. And for the first time this season, they closed out a tight game in the fourth quarter against a superior team.

Whereas the defense let the team down in their most recent loss at the hands of the Cowboys in Week 6, they were the main reason New England was able to pull out a hard fought victory this time around. The Chargers feature one of the most dangerous offenses in the league, and the defense did a fantastic job of limiting their output for long stretches of the game.

When looking back at the game, it’s clear that the top performers for New England were all on the defensive side of the ball. The offense did their job in closing out the game with an extended drive at the end of the game, but the defense did the legwork to get them there. Let’s take a look at the three stars of the game for New England’s defensive unit, starting with a recent practice squad call up who stepped up in a big way in this one.