Patriots vs. Chargers: Breaking Down New England's Game Plan

The New England Patriots' second loss of the year—a shellacking by the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4—served as a wake-up call that led to a seven-game win streak. Bill Belichick can only hope that the narrow loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 13 can have a similar effect. Another seven-game win streak would leave all the Patriots with another ring on their fingers.

The San Diego Chargers are the first opponent up. Here is what New England needs to do in order to emerge from sunny San Diego victorious.

Patriots Defense vs. Chargers Offense

The Chargers don't have quite the number of weapons that the Packers were able to bear, but Philip Rivers will still have a lot of options Sunday night. Taking away the deep threats will be the first item on defensive coordinator Matt Patricia's agenda:

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Then they have the big strike ability to get the ball downfield, including Floyd, including Gates; [Ladarius] Green, their other tight end who can stretch the defense vertically. They will certainly take advantage of those situations. If they see it come up, they're going to take their opportunities to get the ball downfield as much as they can. 

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If the defensive backs can take away the deep lobs, they still have Keenan Allen and a suddenly rejuvenated Ryan Mathews to contend with.

I'd imagine that Darrelle Revis will track Allen around the field, while Brandon Browner and a safety will erase Malcom Floyd. Eddie Royal will draw the hot hand between Kyle Arrington, Alfonzo Dennard and Logan Ryan.

Patriots Offense vs. Chargers Defense

The Chargers defensive stars are no surprise. Corey Liuget, Eric Weddle and Brandon Flowers are leading the team with star rookie cornerback Jason Verrett landing on injured reserve. How New England attacks them might depend on their running backs. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels elaborates:

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We have confidence in all of our backs, and they can all do a lot of the things we do in our offense. And then there are some things that we do with them that are a little bit more specific. I think there are so many variables that go into how we use them on a weekly basis – the style, the game plan, the personnel groupings we're using, what we anticipate getting from the defense and the types of things that we choose to do during the course of the game.

They are all ready to go, and sometimes, we kind of know what their role is heading into the game, and then however the game unfolds and the way we're being played and what we choose to do as the game goes on sometimes will certainly impact who ends up playing in different situations or who plays more or what have you. 

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This is a LeGarrette Blount and Jonas Gray sort of game. The Patriots need to come out strong and run the ball with authority, sprinkling in some passes. Once the defensive line has softened up and is thinking run, unleash the play action. Shane Vereen should see some time as well, but ideally he will receive fewer snaps than the power backs. 

Expect Brady to work the middle of the field early, setting up some deeper strikes later in the game. 

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

What They're Saying

Whether it is Bon Jovi, Mark Wahlberg or Doc Rivers, I'm never surprised with who Bill Belichick is friends with. Belichick had the latter chat with the team while they were out in California:

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I have tremendous respect for [Rivers]. He is so well respected on this team. The players and the coaches and all of us who have interacted with him and the way he handles himself, handles his team and his passion for his sport, for basketball, but also I think his appreciation for professionals – our team, professional athletics, football players, what we go through, the relationships and the challenges of playing and competing at this level. It's all great with Doc. I think all the times he's talked to the team, the messages that he's delivered are outstanding. Nobody understands competitive sports, especially somebody who's not in football, understands it better than he does.

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Belichick is never one to forgo a chance to motivate his team. Bringing in an outside voice to keep it fresh seems like a good move at this point of the year.

Tale of the Tape

Quarterback

Rivers and Brady are two of the best QBs in the league. In a game with as many playoff implications as this one, I'll take the clutch veteran.

Verdict: Patriots

Running Backs 

Each team is short on superstars but long on versatility and depth. These are two good position groups.

Verdict: Push 

Rob Carr/Getty Images

Wide Receivers

Even though Aaron Dobson's story is far from over, Keenan Allen would look awfully good in a Patriots uniform. These two units match up very similarly, with Royal and Julian Edelman manning the slots and Floyd and Brandon LaFell working outside.

Verdict: Push

Tight Ends

Antonio Gates and Ladarius Green are fantastic players. That said, they aren't Rob Gronkowski. That's not their fault, nobody else is either.

Verdict: Patriots

Offensive Line

New England's offensive line seems to be trending in the right direction—the Green Bay game was a bit rough though—while San Diego's pass protection has been miserable this year.

Verdict: Patriots

Defensive Line 

With both teams banged up here, it may come down to the game-time decisions to decide this one.

Verdict: Push

Jim Rogash/Getty Images

Linebackers

If Dont'a Hightower is at 100 percent following his missed time against the Packers, this is one of the better groups in the league—even without Jerod Mayo. Jamie Collins is everything that people wanted Manti Te'o to be.

Verdict: Patriots

Defensive Backs

This is the strength of each defense, but New England just has more firepower here. Eric Weddle, however, makes game-changing plays on an alarming basis.

Verdict: Patriots

Special Teams

While Mike Scifres is an excellent punter, Nick Novak's short kickoffs may give Danny Amendola a chance to make some exciting returns. Don't let Stephen Gostkowski's miss last week get you down, he is as solid as they come.

Verdict: Patriots

Overall: Patriots, 5-0-4

On paper, the Patriots have a slight advantage in five categories. That said, a couple of turnovers by the opportunistic Chargers defense could swing this game very quickly in San Diego's favor.

Wednesday's Injury Report Analysis (via Patriots.com)

Did Not Practice: Aaron Dobson, Chris White

Limited: Danny Aiken, Kyle Arrington, Julian Edelman, Chandler Jones, Dont'a Hightower, Cameron Fleming, Dan Connolly, Dominique Easley, Brandon LaFell, Shane Vereen

Full: Tom Brady, Marcus Cannon

Aaron Dobson, Chris White and Dont'a Hightower are all new additions to the list. Only Dobson's injury looked to be particularly serious. 

Corey Liuget's knee held him out of Chargers practice Wednesday, per ESPN's Eric Williams.

Stats and figures courtesy of NFL.com.