Foxborough, Mass. – Injuries finally caught up with the New England Patriots. San Diego’s explosive offense added to the misery.
Even Marty Schottenheimer knew something wasn’t right with the defending Super Bowl champions.
After his Chargers beat New England 41-17 on Sunday, the San Diego coach suggested the victory may have had as much to do with who wasn’t playing for New England as the superior performances of Drew Brees, LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates.
“What they’ve done is remarkable,” he said of the Patriots, who had their 21-game home winning streak ended. “But at what point in time do you keep responding when you have to keep putting in new players? They’ve done it wonderfully over the last four years, but there comes a time where it has to catch up with you, even with a team as great as this one.”
This was New England’s first loss in Foxborough since Dec. 22, 2002, when it lost to the New York Jets. That was the only season in the past four that the Patriots failed to win the Super Bowl.
The last time the Patriots started 2-2 was 2003, though they went on to win the title anyway.
San Diego, which has scored 86 points in two wins after starting with two losses, was nearly unstoppable against a defense with a lot of holes. Brees threw for two touchdowns, Tomlinson ran for two more and Gates had six catches for 108 yards.
Though it was tied 17-all at the half, Brees took advantage of a secondary that already was without two of its top three cornerbacks and now is missing safety Rodney Harrison, lost for the year with a knee injury.
“I played with Rodney, I know what a leader he is,” Brees said. “It’s not only the physical things he does.
“It’s the leadership, the mental toughness, what he imparts to his teammates.”
Harrison’s absence – the physical side – was clearly felt on one play in the third quarter when backup running back Michael Turner ran right through his replacement, Guss Scott, on the way to an 18-yard gain.
That drive ended with a 28-yard TD pass to Reche Caldwell that gave San Diego a 31-17 lead. Brees also had an 11-yard touchdown pass to Keenan McCardell in the second quarter.
Gates, a former basketball player, also leaped over Scott to take in a 38-yard pass from Brees at the New England 1 on the first series of the second half. That set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Tomlinson, who finished with 134 yards on 25 carries and also extended his NFL record to 16 consecutive games with a rushing touchdown.
