Chargers vs. Patriots: Preview, score prediction for Week 8

Los Angeles Chargers vs. New England Patriots

What a huge game this is for the Los Angeles Chargers, as they head to New England to face the Patriots in this Week 8 match-up. After losing their first four games of the year, the ‘Bolts have won three in-a-row, while earning some impressive victories over the Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos in consecutive weeks.

Needless to say, the Patriots should be on high-alert for an extremely confident Chargers football team heading in Gillette Stadium on Sunday afternoon. If the Chargers can somehow knock off the Pats this weekend, they will have evened their record back up at (4-4), miraculously placing them back into the mix for the 2017 AFC Playoffs. Don’t you just love the NFL?

That said, here are two keys to victory for both teams in Week 8:

Chargers Keys to Victory:

Get to Tom Brady Early and Often: While the Atlanta Falcons failed to beat New England in the Super Bowl 51 rematch, they did prove that it’s not impossible to get to Tom Brady. Actually, if the Falcons would have been competent offensively, their pass-rush would have made the biggest difference in that football game.

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At the same time, the Chargers pass-rush is light years ahead of Atlanta’s in 2017, which means Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram could have a huge game on Sunday afternoon. If these two guys get Brady frustrated in Week 8, he will start to make bad decisions with the football — something that could ultimately cost his team a victory over the Chargers.

Keep Running the Football: If you’re a Chargers fan, then you need to be extremely thankful with how offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt has impacted this offense through seven weeks. Early on in the year, the ‘Bolts were throwing the football too many times, which resulted in four consecutive losses. No, it wasn’t solely Philip Rivers fault, but it forced their offense to become to one-dimensional.

Los Angeles has put a lot of great pieces on the outside for Rivers to throw to, but Melvin Gordon is the one player who makes this offense special. If he doesn’t get, at least, 20-25 carries each weekend, Whisenhunt has easily done something wrong.

Patriots Keys to Victory:

Run the Football as Much as Possible: Even though the Chargers have won four games in-a-row, they are still one of the worst teams in the NFL in defending the run. This New England offense tore up the Falcons defense on the ground in Week 7 for well over 150 total yards on the ground. If the Pats can get a combination of James White, Dion Lewis and Rex Burkhead going on Sunday afternoon, it will go a long way in keeping the Chargers offense off the field and off the scoreboard.

Win the Turnover Battle: This point is pretty cliché for any team in the NFL, but it’s extremely important for New England on Sunday afternoon. Over the Chargers winning streak, they have protected the football very well, while getting come lucky-breaks with turnovers on defense. In a game that could wind up being a field position battle, the squad who protects the football better will win this football game in Week 8.

Odds

Point Spread: New England -7
Moneyline: Los Angeles -110, New England -100
Over/Under: 48

Odds via Sportsbookreview.com

NEXT: One burning question for each NFL team in Week 8

Prediction

The biggest question of the weekend for the Chargers is if they can get their fourth-straight win with an upset victory over the defending champs in Week 8. Call me crazy, call me over-optimistic, but I truly do believe Los Angeles can beat Brady and the Pats on Sunday afternoon.

Even though the Falcons failed to score on New England in Week 7, I don’t believe the ‘Bolts will have much of an issue in Week 8, especially if Melvin Gordon gets going early in the running game. Not to mention, Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram are the perfect fourth-quarter closers.

That said, Los Angeles will win in a very close football game.

Pick: Los Angeles Chargers: 28, New England Patriots: 26

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