There was just so much to like about the way he ate up space in the pocket, whether he was logging sacks or not. New England also would’ve put up more points. Harris’ stats might have looked a lot better if not for these costly holding penalties. When Wynn returned, he also committed a holding penalty, which erased a 23-yard run. When Justin Herron entered the game briefly to replace an apparently injured Isaiah Wynn, Herron committed a holding penalty that erased a 28-yard touchdown. Harris was the lead back, grinding away at the Chargers defense with first downs at key points in the game. The 3.6-yard average might not seem all that impressive, but it was just enough. The running backs finished with 39 carries for 141 yards. He finished the game with 23 carries for 80 yards and a touchdown. When Jones grew erratic for a stretch, Harris was consistent. In a game where Harris and the running backs needed to bring stability to the offense, they didn’t turn over the football. New England recovered the onside kick that followed Palmer’s score.
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Palmer’s 24-yard touchdown put the Chargers within a field goal with a minute left in the game. Mills lost a jump ball scenario against Palmer - even with help over the top from Phillips. He was in coverage for a handful of chunk plays (a 14-yarder to Mike Williams, an 18-yarder to Jalen Guyton) but no play was more impactful than the touchdown he allowed to rookie Josh Palmer. (The offense helped, too, when they got back on the field with that 7-minute drive.)
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But Phillips really helped shut the door on the Chargers. They’ve had moments where they let up points and allowed their opponent to mount a comeback - an issue that has been partially due to the offense struggling. That fourth-quarter pick-six was a tremendous way for the Patriots’ defense to finish strong. The safety logged two game-changing interceptions, one in the closing minutes of the first half and one in the closing minutes of the second half. Here are the winners and losers from the game.
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But the Patriots recovered with a pair of interceptions from safety Adrian Phillips, including a pick-six and a massive, 7-minute drive from the offense. The Patriots coaching staff made a series of puzzling decisions in the second quarter - with a bad play-call on fourth down, a strange abandonment of the run in the red zone and a rushed final drive at the end of the half - and Jones had a rough run of incompletions that spanned from the second quarter into the third.