Chargers vs. Patriots: Shutting Down Antonio Gates Key to New England Win

Bill Belichick's defensive genius is predicated primarily on his ability to eliminate an opponent's most potent offensive threat. It is in that way that he forces his opponent to play at the tempo that the New England Patriots coach dictates to them.

Basically, Belichick and the Patriots defense prescribe to the notion that they want to make the offense beat them with their left hand.

Philip Rivers is the engine that makes the Chargers offense go, and putting pressure on him will be of prime importance, but there's one player in particular that the Patriots can't allow to beat them.

That player just happens to be one of the best at his position in league history: Antonio Gates.

Philip Rivers Passer Rating When Targeting Antonio Gates

We know that Gates is one of Rivers' favorite targets. Since 2006 (Rivers' first full year as a starter), Gates has been targeted on 521 of Rivers' 2,473 pass attempts for just over 21 percent of the targets. 

Think he'd be throwing that way if it wasn't successful? Just last year, Rivers went 50-for-65 (76.9 percent completions) for 782 yards, 12 yards per attempt, 10 touchdowns, two interceptions and a 143.1 passer rating. Just three of those passes were drops on Gates' behalf.

Rivers to Gates has become one of the surest combinations since peanut butter and jelly, peas and carrots, and Charlie Sheen and strippers.

Efficiency in the Middle of the Field

On passes from 0-19 yards down the middle of the field, Rivers went a ridiculous 171-for-211 for 2,133 yards, 10 touchdowns and just three interceptions for a passer rating of 118.7. 

On such passes to Gates, Rivers was 22-for-30 for 291 yards, four touchdowns, one interception and a passer rating of 129.3. 

Clearly, Rivers' best work is done when targeting Gates and when throwing short to intermediate routes over the middle of the field. 

Bad news for New England defense

My podcast co-host Mike Dussault of Pats Propaganda wrote this story awhile back, outlining New England's struggles in covering tight ends (ranked 21st in the league).

The onus for this would likely fall on Gary Guyton, who is the primary cover linebacker assigned to tight ends in the passing game. He struggled on Monday night against Miami Dolphins tight end Anthony Fasano, who burned New England's defense for five receptions and 84 yards, including at least two passes that were right over Guyton's head.

The challenge doesn't get any easier this week.

As I wrote previously, the margin between Fasano and Gates is about as wide as the margin between margarine and butter. The label may say, "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!" but once you've sunk your teeth into it, you'll believe it's not butter.

Although coverage of tight ends wasn't New England's worst area of pass defense, but that problem could be exacerbated by Gates if he is able to get in rhythm with Rivers.

Good news for New England defense

The Patriots had a great deal of trouble stopping any quarterback they faced from looking like Joe Montana in 2010, with the sixth-worst pass rush grade according to Pro Football Focus.

They looked better on Monday night than they ever did in '10, though, and after one week of play, they have the highest pass rush grade in the league.

That being said, it's one week of play. Against the Dolphins. The sample size is far too small to draw any concrete conclusions, and though the signs are promising, there's a chance that the Chargers offense could really exploit some weaknesses they see in the film room.

As they say, that's why they play the games.

How can New England stop Gates?

One promising sign for the Patriots, though, is their ability to shut down Gates in the first three quarters of their last meeting. They held Gates without a catch until the fourth quarter. One not-so-promising sign, though, is that they gave up four receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown in the final quarter. 

The strategy they used to stop him was to chip him with a linebacker at the line of scrimmage before covering him with a different linebacker, essentially double-teaming him. The formula worked for three quarters, but San Diego eventually figured out how to counter it, and drew within striking range.

Expect a similar strategy on Sunday, unless it proves ineffective. In which case, New England could be in trouble, especially since their secondary looked second-rate, specifically at safety. This, against what was considered a subpar pass attack in Miami on Monday.

Stopping Gates out of the gate and keeping him out of the game until its conclusion will be paramount to a Patriots victory on Sunday.

Erik Frenz is the co-host of the PatsPropaganda and Frenz podcast. Follow Erik on Twitter @erikfrenz.