The New England Patriots didn’t leave much hope for the future in their 40-7 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday.
Foxborough served as the backdrop for the Patriots’ worst loss of the season. They got dominated on both sides of the ball by a Chargers team that was superior in every phase of the game.
The Drake Maye magic on offense was put on ice by a tenacious Chargers’ pass rush that consistently won in the trenches and put pressure on the rookie quarterback. On the defensive side of the ball, the Patriots fell victim to the Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey connection.
The quarterback and wide receiver duo torched the Patriots for 96 yards and two touchdowns. They would have had three touchdowns if Herbert hadn’t missed a wide-open McConkey waltzing into the end zone for a hat trick.
A performance this bad doesn’t deserve any studs on this list. So it’s all duds for the Patriots in this week’s studs and duds from Week 17: