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

New England Patriots star player No. 1: Adrian Phillips

Much was made about this game being a homecoming of sorts for Hunter Henry considering he spent the first five seasons of his career with the Chargers before signing with the Pats this past offseason. Turns out the homecoming we should have been paying closer attention to was the one that Adrian Phillips took part in instead.

Phillips spent the first six seasons of his career with the Chargers before signing with New England in 2020, and he was the star of the show in his return to Los Angeles. Phillips had three tackles, two pass deflections, and two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. Phillips was the most impactful player on the field for either team, and without him, New England probably doesn’t win this game.

In fairness, both of Phillips’ interceptions were a bit fortuitous to say the least. The first one went right off the hands of Austin Ekeler, and Phillips was in perfect position to make a play on the deflected ball.

The second one was the result of a miscommunication between Herbert and tight end Jared Cook, which resulted in Herbert’s throw going right to Phillips instead. Even if they weren’t the flashiest plays, Phillips took advantage of Los Angeles’ mistakes and helped power New England to victory.

In the buildup to this game, I made a case for Devin McCourty being the most important piece in the Pats gameplan, but it turns out I overlooked the former Charger Phillips. McCourty also had a very solid game, and was a key piece in limiting Mike Williams to virtually no production, but Phillips made the two biggest plays of the game for New England.

Phillips’ timely interception turned a one point deficit for the Patriots into a seven point lead after the offense converted the ensuing two point conversion. The Chargers offense could have been set to drive down the field and pad their lead, but Phillips made sure that wasn’t possible. In the process, he made Los Angeles’ front office look like fools for letting him go to New England for such a cheap price. Quite a day for the veteran safety if you ask me.