New England Patriots head to San Diego to take on the Chargers
The San Diego Chargers currently lead the NFL in total offence and total defence but somehow have a record of 2-4, and they now have one of their toughest tests of the season as they host the 4-1 New England Patriots.
Previous meetings and recent games
The last time these two teams met was back on week six in 2008 when the Chargers won 30-10 in San Diego. Matt Cassel was the Patriots quarterback at the time after Tom Brady was injured in the first week of the season. This time, Brady is back, and Matt
Cassel has moved on to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Although Cassel had a decent year in 2008, leading the Patriots to an 11-5 record and establishing himself as an NFL starter, the Patriots are a wholly different beast with Tom Brady at quarterback. They are currently 4-1 and will be looking to move into
a tie with the New York Jets atop the AFC East with a win. The Patriots are also coming off a huge win after defeating the Baltimore Ravens 23-20 at home last weekend.
The Chargers, despite putting up great numbers on offence and defence, have been unable to put up many wins. Their only saving grace at the moment is the fact that they play in the AFC West where they, and two of the other three teams, all have identical
2-4 records.
How they match up
This is a meeting between two of the NFL's premier quarterbacks – Philip Rivers for the Chargers, and Tom Brady for the Patriots. Rivers has thrown for more yards than any other quarterback so far this season, and, before he came up against the Baltimore
Ravens and their stingy pass defence, Brady had previously been the league's top-rated passer.
The Patriots and Chargers are neck and neck when it comes to their running offence, sitting number 12 and 13 respectively in the NFL.
With both teams' offences so well matched, who ends up winning could come down to how well each team does on the defensive side of the ball, and which team is better able to prevent turnovers.
Coming in to the game it looks like the Chargers would have the edge, but they've had huge difficulties turning great numbers into actual wins. The Chargers boast the league's best pass defence and have sacked opposing quarterbacks 21 times – only the New
York Giants have more – but for all their hard work they're still two games below .500.
What to expect
The Chargers have the benefit of home field advantage, while the Patriots have perhaps more to play for as they look to keep pace with the Jets. However, it could spell disaster for the Chargers if they fall to 2-5 on the season, so they will be looking
to prove to the NFL that they are real contenders this year, and will be looking to avoid falling to the bottom of their division.
There are certain times in life where statistics don't seem to matter and the team that wants to win more, regardless of what the numbers might say, will come out victorious. Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots know how to win – especially when it
matters the most.
The Patriots will win 38-35.
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