When considering areas of need - and there are many - I will continue to highlight the Patriots' inability to so much as sniff opposing quarterbacks. This is a situation where the eye test, review of the tape, and nerd numbers all reveal the same - a talent issue that must be addressed repeatedly this off-season.
Next Gen Stats has the Pats' 30th in pressure rate, and ESPN has them dead last in pass-rush win rate. That impotence showed up again on Sunday. The Pats didn't move Justin Herbert off his spot until his 11th dropback of the game (the 4th & 3 on the game's second drive). Overall, I had the Pats with just eight pressures in 43 dropbacks (Herbert took off a couple of times despite having a clean pocket). I'd say it was stunning to witness the Chargers signal-caller stand there play after play unbothered; instead, it's been the norm for the 2024-25 season, which is mercifully almost over.
When ownership handed the keys to Jerod Mayo, he immediately tabbed DeMarcus Covington to run the defense. It made sense. A head coach with all his experience on that side of the ball and a young, up-and-coming position coach whose units consistently got better year over year. But despite some brutal personnel losses (Barmore, Bentley, Peppers, Judon), this drop-off should never have been so pronounced.
Covington hasn't shown an ability to stay one step ahead of opposing offenses, and on Sunday, Herbert looked like he was in a 7-on-7 drill and had all the answers to the Pats' rudimentary approach. Schemed rushes - critical when you don't have an elite edge player - were swatted aside like mosquitoes by the campfire.
Hard for me to discern if this was the worst defensive performance of the year - there are so many candidates - and I don't want to be a prisoner of recency bias, but this performance was particularly odious.
RECENT TOP-PICK TRADES IN REVIEW
The Pats currently have the top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Nothing says good times quite like that. There are two trades in the recent memory of that selection, if you're into that sort of thing.
In 2023, the Bears traded out of the #1 spot, getting the 9th and 61st picks that year from the Panthers, a 2024 first-rounder and 2025 second-rounder, and wideout D.J. Moore. Chicago went 7-10 that season, drafted Caleb Williams, and sits at 4-12 this year. They fired their coach during the season and are the very definition of a hot mess. Thus far, the Bears have used the picks on T Darnell Wright, CB Tyrique Stevenson, and Caleb.
In 2016, the Titans traded out with the Rams (they picked Jared Goff), getting the 15th, 43rd, 45th, and 76th picks that season and a 2017 first and third-rounder. Tennessee also added sweeteners from the 2016 draft (4th and 6th rounders). That began a six-year run of relevancy. They parlayed that collection of picks into seven players: T Jack Conklin, DT Austin Johnson, RB Derrick Henry, CB LeShaun Sims, CB Kalan Reed, WR Corey Davis, and old friend TE Jonnu Smith.
As for this year, this might be the weakest top of the draft class since 2013. That was the year Eric Fisher went first overall. He was solid. Not elite. After him, the picks were Luke Joeckel, Dion Jordan, Lane Johnson, Ezekiel Ansah, Barkevious Mingo, Jonathan Cooper, Tavon Austin, Dee Milliner, and Chance Warmack. Can you say stink, stank, and stunk? There were some good players outside the top 10, but that was more of a crapshoot than usual, and this draft promises to be similar.
I SEE YOU
Remember at the beginning of the season when it seemed every week, one of the wide receivers was guilty of bad body language (that's a kind way to describe Pop Douglas throwing an on-field fit or Ja'Lynn Polk walking off the field mid-play). That frustration was generally aimed at quarterback Jacoby Brissett and, perhaps, at offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. The switch to Drake Maye placated that wildly underperforming group until Sunday.
Yep, it happened again. It's not as demonstrative but evident if you're watching the tape. On the first series and first third down, the Chargers double Kendrick Bourne. Instead of reading the entire field, Maye bails out of the pocket early and to the right. Had he stayed another half second, he would have seen Pop come open for what would have been an easy first-down conversion. But the rookie had already committed to running (and getting his bell rung). Pop's hands flew up, and it was almost as if he had caught himself doing it. He stopped mid-action.
Bourne did something similar a couple series later - he was open - but Maye checked the ball down. As he retreated to the huddle, the hands came up to his waist - a "didn't you see me" sort of shrug. By the way, Bourne lined up on the wrong side on the game's first play, and both Maye and Hunter Henry had to redirect him. How does that happen when you're scripting the first 15?
Later, on an incomplete to Kayshon Boutte on a deep post, the receiver ran his route as if he wasn't going to get the ball, half-assing it out of his break. For a group that is arguably the worst in the league, they behave like one of the best. I watch a lot of football. You expect guys like A.J. Brown, D.K. Metcalf, Justin Jefferson, etc., to show irritation when the ball isn't coming their way. I do not like it, but I understand it from their perspective. When you're that dominant (Metcalf isn't in the same class, but you get the point), and the offense is struggling, these guys know they can make a play to change the game. Is there any receiver on the Pats with similar ability/resume/cache to suggest the same?
Don't twist yourself into a pretzel. The answer is no.
UP AND DOWN
The only player who showed up and showed out on Sunday was Anfernee Jennings. Coming off his worst performance of the season at Buffalo, this was what I've come to expect from the sturdy vet. He set a mean edge throughout (3 of the first 11 plays were runs to his side and went nowhere) and used his power to affect Herbert on a couple of occasions. If only teammates followed his lead.
Thumbs down to Davon Godchaux. His play was okay. His self-congratulatory bullcrap post-game was not: "I thought we were playing good run D — just particularly talking about defense — I thought we were playing good run defense. You know, I think (Jim) Harbaugh made a statement and said they were going to come in and play bully ball. Particularly when you say that, they typically want to run the ball... I thought, for the most part, we played good run defense." Taking a victory lap after you lost by 33 points and weren't competitive - did they ever stop the Chargers when it matters? Hell, did they ever stop the Chargers at all? It is nauseating.
Thumbs down to Jonathan Jones. He just couldn't navigate the litany of picks the Chargers set for him, and Ladd McConkey feasted. Jones looked great the week prior, maybe the best he has all season, but this was a decided step back for the veteran cornerback.
Thumbs down to Alex Austin and Isaiah Bolden. When the Pats won in the slot, Herbert turned his attention outside and had no problem picking on the two young corners. Bolden also got lucky when Herbert had a rare miss on Sunday, overthrowing a deep seam route to Josh Palmer. That should have been a touchdown.
Thumbs down to Kyle Dugger. He was involved in three touchdowns, and on McConkey's first, he never had his eyes on his only real threat on the play (LA was max protecting, for crying out loud). Tough year for the safety. Yes, he's playing hurt (ankle), but he's also playing poorly.