7 Patriots takeaways from Chargers loss

FOXBOROUGH — In a season full of potential rock bottoms, the Patriots authored another candidate on Sunday afternoon.

Against the 32nd ranked Chargers defense, Bill Belichick’s team was shutout at Gillette Stadium for the second time this season, falling 6-0. The defense played well enough to win (again), but Bailey Zappe didn’t spark a Patriots offense that is still stuck in an unfathomably bad tailspin.

Here are seven takeaways from a rainy day at Gillette Stadium:

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1. Zappe hour cut off early

It turns out, Zappe wasn’t a cure all for the Patriots offense. The second year quarterback went 13-of-25 for 141 yards in the shutout and never set foot in the red zone. On New England’s one drive into field goal range, Zappe took back-to-back sacks and the Patriots wound up punting.

“Some good things and some bad things,” Zappe said. “We had a chance there at the end. Defense played great. Offense, it starts with me. I’ve got to make plays towards the end. I’ve got to throw better balls. I’ve got to make the balls catchable, especially in conditions like today – wet ball, wet hands. I’ve got to throw the ball better. It starts with me on the offensive side in getting things going.”

2. Losing Stevenson another brutal blow

Already missing Pop Douglas, the Patriots lost their best offensive player on the second drive of the game. Rhamondre Stevenson was the recipient of one of the hip-drop tackles the league may look to eliminate this offseason, lost the football, and suffered a significant ankle injury on the play. Stevenson couldn’t put any weight on his foot as he needed to be helped off the field in the first quarter and will reportedly miss time.

For a team already without Kendrick Bourne, Matthew Judon, and Christian Gonzalez, losing Stevenson is the latest in a long line of costly injuries.

3. Thornton can’t haul in deep ball

After running past Chargers cornerback Deane Leonard in the third quarter, Tyquan Thornton had a chance to make the most explosive play of the day. Zappe uncorked a dime that traveled 50 yards in the air, but Thornton left his feet and dove instead of running through the route, and the pass slipped right through his hands.

“Definitely frustrating,” Thornton said. “I wish I could get that one back. Just to make that play for our offense, I feel like we really needed that. I have got to do better at my job just to make that routine play.”

4. Offensive line shaky

The offensive ugliness on Sunday was found in the trenches, too. Zappe was sacked five times, and could have been hauled down on a couple more dropbacks, but managed to slip out of collapsing pockets. It was the worst game in recent memory for tackle Michael Onwenu, who had a very hard time blocking Khalil Mack.

5. Malik goes MIA

Though he was elevated from the practice squad, Malik Cunningham didn’t see a single snap at wide receiver or quarterback.

“We had times where we got things going,” Belichick said. “We wanted to try to stay with what we were doing.”

One possible explanation? The might have Patriots planned on using Cunningham in the red zone, but never made it inside the Chargers 20-yard line. It was that kind of day.

6. Defense does its job

Another week, another offensive letdown. The Patriots defense held Justin Herbert’s group to a pair of field goals, both of which came on a short field. As a team, the Chargers averaged just 1.2 yards per carry. But it still wasn’t good enough.

With the loss, the Patriots fell for the third straight game when allowing 10 points or fewer. The last team to manage to lose three straight with their defense playing so well was the 1938 Chicago Cardinals.

“Look, I mean, it’s a very simple game,” center David Andrews said. “You’ve got to score points. You’ve got to score points to have a chance to win. You can boil it down to whatever you want, but at the end of the day, it comes down to points. We’ve got to find ways to generate more points.”

7. Draft position improves

Though it was miserable for the soggy fans in attendance, the Patriots did get a bit of good news with the loss. Following Arizona’s upset of the Steelers in Pittsburgh, New England jumped up to No. 2 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft order. That would likely ensure a franchise quarterback landing in Foxborough, as Caleb Williams and Drake Maye are both billed as such.