3 Takeaways from Patriots' Week 13 Loss vs. Chargers
The New England Patriots put together a valiant effort against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 13 but fell in a 6-0 defensive battle.
New England made a quarterback change during the week, tabbing Bailey Zappe as the starter ahead of Sunday's game. This represented a change in strategy, as Zappe has often replaced Mac Jones in-game this season.
While the offense did seem to operate a little more efficiently with Zappe under center, New England couldn't get enough of a spark to put points on the board. As a result, the Patriots lost their 10th game of the season.
Here are our three biggest takeaways from the Patriots' Week 13 loss to the Chargers.
Quarterback Change Means Little
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Jones hasn't been good enough for the Patriots, and there's no denying that. Making the move to Zappe was probably the right choice, but it did very little to spark the offense. A lackluster supporting cast remains New England's biggest issue.
It wasn't all bad for Zappe, who finished 13-of-25 for 141 yards with no touchdowns or turnovers. He made a few nice throws throughout the game but was too often let down by his pass-catchers.
Late in the third quarter, for example, Zappe found a streaking Tyquan Thornton, who had a step on his defender. The ball was perfectly placed and should have yielded a long gain, if not a touchdown. However, Thornton completely whiffed on the catch.
Poor quarterback play has been a weekly theme for the Patriots, and there's little reason to criticize Zappe's performance in this one. The reality is that New England is likely to get poor quarterback play—regardless of who is under center—until it invests significant capital into its receiving corps.
Rhamondre Stevenson Injury Looms Large
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For most of the 2023 season, running back Rhamondre Stevenson has been one of the few bright spots of the Patriots offense. He started out strong against the Chargers, tallying 39 yards on nine carries, but he exited in the first half with what appears to be a very serious ankle injury.
"Stevenson needed help from multiple people to get down the steps to the Patriots locker room," Mark Daniels of MassLive posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The Patriots have already lost key players like Matthew Judon, Christian Gonzalez and Kendrick Bourne to season-ending injuries this season. With only five games remaining and virtually nothing to play for, there's a good chance that Stevenson will join that list
With Zappe doing very little to spark the offense, it would appear that New England will have to lean heavily on its ground game to pick up any additional wins this season. If Steveson indeed misses significant time, that may no longer be an option.
The Defense Did Its Job
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If there's a positive to take away from a lackluster 6-0 loss, it's this: The Patriots defense played well and gave New England every opportunity it needed to win.
The Patriots held Los Angeles to just 241 total yards, 39 rushing yards and a pair of Cameron Dicker field goals. The Chargers were just 5-of-15 on third down and never pushed deeper into Patriots territory than the 20-yard line.
This is noteworthy because it shows that the Patriots still have some fight amid a lost season. That could be important as it relates to Bill Belichick's job security, and it suggests that New England still has some building blocks it can carry into 2024.
At this rate, the Patriots are likely to turn to a high draft pick as their next quarterback—perhaps a top QB prospect like Caleb Williams or Drake Maye. If New England is wise, it will also work to improve its collection of pass-catchers in free agency and the draft.
Defense should be less of a concern for New England, especially if Judon and Gonzalez are healthy. For as bad as this season has been, Patriots fans should be facing a brighter situation at the start of 2024.
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