gresh and fauria: What does getting flexed out of Monday Night Football say about the Patriots?
The Patriots are back at it this Sunday in Foxborough as they'll welcome the Chargers to Gillette Stadium for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
With Los Angeles, despite being 4-7, having one of the more talented rosters in football, and New England dealing with a quarterback controversy, this weekend's game is truly all about the players.
Here are 10 of them to watch:
10 - LB Kenneth Murray Jr., Chargers
Murray, who was drafted with the 23rd overall pick (originally owned by the Patriots) in the 2020 NFL Draft, has been the center of the Chargers’ defense ever since. He leads LA in tackles this season with 81 and will be in charge of stopping the Bailey Zappe-led Patriots offense this Sunday.
The former Oklahoma Sooner provides more than just tacking, however. Murray has also made noise in the passing game this season, tallying two sacks, three pass deflections, and an interception. He’ll be a priority for Bill O’Brien and co. this weekend.
9 - RB Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots
With all signs pointing to Bailey Zappe being under center for the Patriots on Sunday, the gameplan will likely feature a heavy dose of running for the backs.
Welcome to Week 13, Rhamondre Stevenson.
New England’s lead back, Stevenson started 2023 slow but has really come on as of late. He’s run for 87 or more yards in each of the Patriots’ last three games, and he’s been efficient in doing so averaging over six yards per carry. Look for him to continue running wild with an even larger workload on Sunday.
8 - WR Keenan Allen, Chargers
“As good as he’s been,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, said about Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen this week. “Which has been great, he’s having his best year, which is pretty scary. He’s a very difficult player to cover, very strong, great hands, instincts, hard guy to tackle. Obviously, Herbert’s got a lot of confidence in him.”
Through LA’s first 11 games, Allen has hauled in 97 passes for 1,117 yards and seven touchdowns, putting him on pace to have, by far, his best season of his 11-year career.
The pass catcher did, however, pop up in the injury report this week with a quad injury. He practiced on Friday after sitting out both Wednesday and Thursday, and is currently questionable for Sunday’s game in Foxborough.
7 - QB Justin Herbert, Chargers
Throwing Allen the ball this weekend will, of course, be quarterback Justin Herbert.
A top-five quarterback in football, Herbert has lit the world on fire since being drafted by the Chargers with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-6 phenom has thrown for 16,915 yards and 114 touchdowns to just 41 interceptions through his first three-plus seasons.
Herbert is, however, 0-2 against the Patriots his career with four interceptions and a 52.8 passer rating. We’ll see if he can get off the schneid against Belichick’s defense this Sunday.
6 - CB J.C. Jackson, Patriots
Jackson is back on the list this week because of a) his poor performance last week versus the Giants and b) his ties to the Chargers.
This past Sunday in New York, Jackson allowed seven catches for 107 yards and was a part of the Patriots allowing Giants rookie wide receiver Jalinn Hyatt to tally his first 100-yard game as a pro.
As for his connection to the Chargers, Jackson signed a massive five-year, $82.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers during 2022 free agency, but lasted just six games their before being traded back to the Patriots in early October.
While his return to Foxborough has been a roller coaster, to say the least, he’ll have an opportunity for some defense against his former team on Sunday.
5 - S Derwin James, Chargers and 4 - LB Khalil Mack, Chargers
A first-team All-Pro safety as a rookie in 2018, Derwin James has returned to his dominant self over the last two seasons following an injury riddled 2019 and 2020.
James has notched 233 tackles, four interceptions, and six sacks over the previous two seasons (earning All-Pro nods), and in 2023, he has 73 tackles and an interception for the Chargers.
He's arguably Los Angeles’ best defender, and he would be going away if it weren’t for linebacker/defensive end hybrid Khalil Mack, who has been one of the better and more consistent defenders of the last 10 years.
Boosted by a six sack game against the Raiders in Week 4, Mack has 13 so far through 11 games for LA and is well on his way to shattering his career high of 15 in 2015.
During his Wednesday morning press conference, Bill Belichick called both James and Mack guys that can “really ruin the game.” On Sunday, the Patriots offense will have to do everything they can to stop that.
3 - QB Mac Jones, Patriots, 2 - QB Malik Cunningham, Patriots, and 1 - QB Bailey Zappe, Patriots
While we’ve received some clarity this week about the Patriots’ quarterback room as it’s been reported that Bailey Zappe will get the start, I’ll still have my eyes on three New England signal callers on Sunday.
Zappe, of course, is getting his first start since Week 6 of last season and with an entire week of practice repping with the Pats first team offense, should be able to provide a spark for the struggling unit.
Meanwhile, practice squad quarterback/wide receiver Malik Cunningham was second in line to Zappe at Wednesday’s practice open to media and, according to The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, will have a role in the offense against the Chargers. New England will either have to a) elevate him to the game-day roster or b) sign him to their 53-man roster by Saturday at 4 p.m.
Oh, and of course Mac Jones. Whether he’ll be inactive or suit up on Sunday remains to be determined, but either way he won’t be playing much football. I’ll be interested to watch his attitude and body language on the sideline and see how he reacts to the change.
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @WEEI for the latest up-to-date Patriots and Boston sports news!
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