New England Patriots links 12/07/20 - Pats beat Bolts with a stick, then pull the plug 45-0

TEAM TALK

• Post Game Notes: Patriots-Chargers - Belichick moves past Tom Landry for 3rd-most games coached; Patriots are 6th team in NFL history with both a punt return TD and blocked FG returned for a TD in the same game; More.
• Gamebook: Full Patriots vs. Chargers stats.
• Erik Scalavino’s Game Recap: Belichick’s successful track record against rookie quarterbacks – 20 wins, only five losses – speaks for itself; More.
• Mike Dussault’s Game Observations: Patriots explode Chargers in blowout. For the second game in a row, the defense and special teams carried the day with a punt return score, a blocked field goal returned for a score and two interceptions; More.
• Post Game Quotes: Patriots and Chargers.
• Post Game Pressers: Bill Belichick - Cam Newton - Gunner Olszewski - Matthew Slater - Devin McCourty.
• Press Pass: Players discuss the win. (2.44 min. video)
• What Went Right: The special teams unit shines. (1.23 min. video)

LOCAL LINKS

• Mike Reiss talks up the Patriots keeping their playoff hopes alive, Cam Newton (with no turnovers yesterday) up to 11 rushing TDs, complementary football, and More.
• Mike D’Abate (FullPressCoverage) Charge Complete: Patriots dismantle Chargers 45-0.
• Mike Reiss recaps the Patriots’ best first half of the season.
• Evan Lazar tells us ten things we learned from the Patriots’ beatdown of the Chargers: The Patriots out-coached Los Angeles in every way; they had a better game plan, miles better special teams, better fundamentals, and better in-game adjustments.
• Tom E. Curran gives us his Pats-Bolts takeaways: The Patriots turned in a vintage performance Sunday, undressing a young QB and capitalizing on a team’s mistakes and shortcomings.
• Chad Finn shares 15 thoughts on the Patriots’ 45-0 win over the Chargers. 2. This one had all the hallmarks of a game Belichick would love. The Patriots excelled in — say it with me — all three phases.
• Doug Kyed examines what to make of the New England’s decisive, shutout win Sunday. Pats need to go undefeated over the final quarter of the season.
• Steve Balestrieri (PatsFans) Patriots begin road trip with 45-0 win over the Chargers.
• Bob George (PatsFans) Patriots make statement by handing Chargers worst-ever shutout loss.
• Michael Hurley emphasizes how in the history of the NFL, there have been some explosive dual-threat QBs but none have been as prolific as Cam Newton when it comes to finding the end zone on the ground.
• Doug Kyed relays N’Keal Harry on his TD catch from Cam Newton: It was a positive play after a season of struggles.
• Alex Barth recaps ‘the Gunner Olszewski game.’
• Michael Hurley details how a converted DII defensive back helped fuel the Patriots blowout.
• Doug Kyed notes Gunner Olszewski saw his offseason work pay off in a breakout game.
• Trevor Hass explains how the defense helped fuel the Patriots’ dominant performance Sunday.
• Ryan Hannable sees the defense gaining tons of confidence: If we execute the game plan, nobody can stop us.
• Zack Cox hears fro Devin McCourty on why he knew he’d score a touchdown on that blocked field goal.
• Evan Lazar says Bill Belichick found his dream safety in rookie Kyle Dugger.
• Zack Cox Patriots Notes: How Pats embraced their ‘identity’ in blowout of chargers; Plus: The returns of Sony Michel and Dalton Keene; More.
• Doug Kyed spotlights who helped the Pats the most in the 45-0 shellacking of the Chargers.
• Matthew Geagan’s Ups & Downs: Patriots dominate all three phases in blowout win over Chargers.
• Kevin Perrington-Turner (BelieveInBostonSports) December football Is the time to shine for a Belichick led team.
• Nick Goss looks at the AFC playoff picture and how the Pats’ position worsened entering Week 14 despite the win.
• WEEI highlights guest Boomer Esiason: If Pats beat the Rams Thursday, they can run the table and make playoffs.
• Alexandra Francisco points out Bill Belichick is first coach in NFL history to win in 50 different stadiums.
• Adam Schefter (ESPN) Source: Julian Edelman ‘a couple of weeks’ away from returning.
• Alex Barth passes along the report that former Patriots RB LeGarrette Blount announces retirement.

NATIONAL NEWS

• NFL Game Center (NFL.com) Patriots 45, Chargers 0: Stats, drives, highlights.
• Sam Monson (Pro Football Focus) NFL Week 13 ReFocused: Patriots 45, Chargers 0. “To rub it in, backup QB Jarrett Stidham came into the game for mop-up duty and continued the onslaught, passing for a long touchdown to Olszewski as the Chargers were already mentally on the bus and on the way home at that point.”
• Charean Williams (ProFootballTalk) Gunner Olszewski scores twice as Patriots embarrass Chargers 45-0.
• Tyler Sullivan (CBS Sports) Patriots at Chargers: New England shuts out Los Angeles as special teams, defense come up big
• Shalise Manza Young (Yahoo! Sports) Like it or not, the Patriots could still sneak their way into the playoffs.
• Albert Breer (SI) Monday Morning QB: Trevor Lawrence watch takes over Week 13; Colt McCoy steps in; Patriots roll, and much more from Week 13.
• Peter King (ProFootballTalk) Week 13 FMIA: After stunning the Seahawks, Giants have NFL thinking they might be a problem in January; 6. Just 35 short months ago, the Jaguars had a 20-10 lead with 10 minutes left in the AFC title game at Foxboro. This blows me away: The Jags are 12-33 since.
• Gary Gramling (SI) Week 13 Takeaways: Colt McCoy Giants trip up Seahawks, Baker catches fire, the tank gets real; Plus, NFC Wild-Card wildness, Tua bounces back, Taysom Hill wins again, Rams re-take NFC West lead, and More.
• Around the NFL (NFL.com) NFL Week 13: What we learned from Sunday’s games. Patriots-Chargers: 1) Flat. Out. Domination. That was the name of the game from jump street in the Patriots’ best win of the year. ...
• Nate Davis (USA Today) 32 things we learned from Week 13. 10. The Patriots’ Cam Newton claimed his own small slice of history. The man with more rushing TDs (69) than any quarterback ever also became the first to score at least two on the ground in four different games in one season.
• John Breech (CBS Sports) NFL Week 13 grades. Patriots A+, Chargers F. “You simply can’t ask for any better than what the Patriots rolled out in Los Angeles. It was a truly dominating display in all three phases.”
• Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports) NFL Winners and Losers. Winner: Bill Belichick.
• Rodger Sherman (The Ringer) The Winners and Losers of NFL Week 13. Loser: Chargers special teams.
• Lorenzo Reyes (USA Today) NFL Week 13 winners, losers. Losers: Chargers special teams.
• Michael Shapiro (SI) NFL Playoff Tracker: Saints, Chiefs become first teams to clinch postseason berths.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Double-digit comebacks continue at record pace

VIEW FROM LOS ANGELES

• Gavino Borquez (ChargersWire) Instant analysis of the Chargers’ shutout loss to the Patriots: With the 45-0 loss to the Patriots, the Chargers suffered their biggest blowout in franchise history.
• Shelly Smith (ESPN) Chargers hit rock bottom in record-setting, 45-0 blowout loss to Patriots. “Don’t even bring up special-teams play, which was ranked last in the league by FPI at the start of the game. Remarkably, it was worse than that on Sunday. Truly.”
• Michael Peterson (BoltsFromTheBlue) Chargers lose 45-0 in worst blowout loss in team history: It literally couldn’t get worse.
• Staff (Chargers.com) Game Recap: Chargers fall to Patriots, 45-0.
• Nick Canepa (San Diego Union-Tribune) Chargers report card vs. Patriots. Coaching: SLOTA (Sixth Letter Of The Alphabet)
• Gavino Borquez (ChargersWire) Anthony Lynn on job status with Chargers: ‘I expect to be coach tomorrow’.
• Gavino Borquez (ChargersWire) Twitter reacts to Chargers’ embarrassing loss to Patriots.