Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots vs. Los Angeles Chargers: Strike First on Offense, Drake Maye, Justin Herbert

Starting point is 00:00:00 To beat the Los Angeles Chargers, the New England Patriots have to channel their inner Cobra Kai. Strike first, strike hard, no mercy, but will it even be enough? Stick around, you're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots Podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. Thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. I'm your host, Mike DeBate.

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Starting point is 00:00:55 at LO underscore Patriots and for me personally you can catch me where the skies are blue over on Blue Sky at MDABATENfl.bsky.social. And of course, folks, today's episode is brought to you by GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account, and use the code LUCKONNFL for $20 off your first purchase.

Starting point is 00:01:18 Pats fans, it is an abbreviated weekend here in Patriots Nation. Your New England Patriots are set to host the Los Angeles Chargers this Saturday, 1 p.m., Foxborough, Massachusetts, Gillette Stadium, and of course, the 9 and 6 Chargers clinging to their playoff lives. Your New England Patriots have been eliminated from playoff contention. Are they looking to improve that draft status, or would they love nothing more than to play spoiler we're going to discuss all of that here today because we have the man with the monster keys to victory which keys have to be turned we're going to talk about the new england patriots and their offensive

Starting point is 00:01:54 strategy how drake may and this patriots offense can neutralize a very aggressive los angeles chargers defense especially on third down we've got the answer for you today. We're also going to talk about the Patriots' defensive prowess and how you solve a problem like Chargers quarterback Justin Herber. Lastly, we're going to give our game predictions, and we're going to send you off to kickoff on Saturday, hopefully with a little more knowledge than you came in with. And I'm very confident in that because, again,

Starting point is 00:02:23 joining us here today is the man who cuts the monster keys to victory each and every week lays an impeccable path to victory will the patriots take it it's on them to do it but it's on me right now to introduce my good friend the legend himself thomas murphy thank you for coming to me in friendship today don murph oh a pleasure to be here pleasure to be here um Up off the floor after a rough Christmas, but feeling better, and here I am, folks. Let's turn a few keys. Absolutely, folks. Let's definitely turn a few keys, and Murph, we're glad to see you feeling a little bit better. Wish you were up to 100%, but thank

Starting point is 00:03:00 you. We'll get there. But thank you for playing through the injury report today and for showing up for work. We always appreciate it here on Locked On Patriots. And without further ado, bud, let's get started. This New England Patriots offense facing a tough task going up against the Chargers. We hear all about the Chargers offense all the time and Justin Herbert being a dynamic quarterback. He is, folks.

Starting point is 00:03:22 We're going to get into just how dynamic and the weapons he can utilize in just a moment but but we'd start off by talking about the Patriots weapon of their own quarterback Drake May is going up against a defense that is very prone to being able to confuse young quarterbacks now Murph we've seen this before defensive coordinators that absolutely love nothing more than to confuse young quarterbacks show them exotic looks especially on third down and take them out of their game the most effective way to do that is to stop them on first and second down that's why I opened the show today by saying Patriots need to channel their inner Cobra Kai

Starting point is 00:04:00 they need to strike first they need to strike hard they need to do what they did against the Buffalo Bills last week when you're crafting your monster keys to victory for this one, you're looking at the Chargers defense. You're looking at guys like Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa and Derwin James. That's a lot of star power and a lot of competent players that can get after the quarterback. You're Drake May and you're this offense. You're Alex Van Pelt. What are you whispering in AVP's ear and telling him this is how to do it this is how you can take it to this chargers team well the chargers like to run a lot of cover too and especially my favorite defense uh cover for quarters quarters defense um quarters is is really difficult for a young quarterback

Starting point is 00:04:40 to figure out and it allows them to to blitz exotically, especially early downs, which you know I love. Let's blitz on second down. What the Patriots need to do this week is a bigger dose of Antonio Gibson, okay? All right, what they need to do is get Gibson involved early and often, whether it be catching passes out of the backfield, getting to the edge, or running up in between the tackles. And he's excellent at all of them and has much better hands than Romandre, who did not look fantastic last week in carrying out his duties for the Patriots. You know, we would have won that game, folks.

Starting point is 00:05:25 Could have won that game. A couple of terrible plays there. You know, there was other things mixed in. But, no, they need to set up the run this week. They need to establish the run. Now, I'm not saying to bench Stevenson. I just want to see more Gibson. I think Gibson on the field makes this team more versatile,

Starting point is 00:05:46 keeps the opposition guessing as to what's going to happen, as opposed to, yeah, we're just going to line up, clog the middle, and get the Patriots into second and third and long. Gibson's the number one key this week. He can do some damage, especially against this Chargers defense. Like I said, they like to run a lot of cover too. They like to play a lot of zone. And I think that plays into Drake May's hands. Drake May has done really well in facing zone defenses this year. And I think once they get the the run established they can

Starting point is 00:06:27 get into play action and then drake's going to be able to do uh what he is uh able to do that we've seen more and more over the last two or three weeks um get those safeties to bite up early um hit the flats in the mid-range passing game. Start running those slants. Start running those curls. Hit those flat concepts. It's going to be Yak City for the Patriots on Saturday afternoon. I keep

Starting point is 00:06:55 wanting to say Sunday. Everybody did. I can't tell you the amount of times that I slipped up during our crossover episode. Me and Daniel Wade earlier this week when we crossed the streams with Locked On Chargers. Yeah, that Saturday flex, folks, will get you, but don't let it fool you. It is a Saturday kickoff at 1pm,

Starting point is 00:07:12 but I think you hit the nail right on the head. This Chargers team majors in zone. That's what they love to do. Jesse Minter is a guy that I think Patriots fans should be familiar with heading into this. This is the Chargers defensive coordinator, folks, and he's been around the league for a number of years.

Starting point is 00:07:29 He spent time in Baltimore with Jim Harbaugh's brother, John. He also was with Jim the last few years in Michigan. So this is a guy that knows how to confuse a young quarterback. We talked about defensive coordinators that love to do it earlier. Jesse Minter loves to do it. And what's the best way to do it, Murr? You keep the teams off script and off balance in your first two downs, and then you attack on third.

Starting point is 00:07:52 Get them into third and long. And this New England Patriots team is not good when they're playing third and long. It's a very difficult situation for a young quarterback to attack a Minter defense in third and long. So you have to know what types of coverages you're facing in anticipation having read your monster keys coming into this i pulled a few statistics so it'll give our listeners an opportunity to see just how much this team loves to run zone their 30th in man coverage this season they only play at 20.6 percent of the time

Starting point is 00:08:24 la also plays the lowest rate of press coverage in the NFL. They're actually the only team in the NFL right now that's below 10% at 9.8%. Murph said it perfectly earlier. Their staple coverage is they love cover three. They play that almost 28, 29% of the time. They love quarters. They're playing that about a quarter of the time, 25%. And they like some cover six mixed in as well, about 11, 12%. quarters they're playing that about a quarter of the time 25 and they like some cover six mixed in as well about 11 12 but they're really cover three cover four quarters when it comes to this team and daniel wade said this earlier this week when we crossed the streams here on locked on patriots for the crossover he says if the chargers get you in third and long

Starting point is 00:08:59 situations they're going to make you pay for it the chargers rank fifth in the league in zone blitz rate this season 18.4 they're going to go after it they're going to make you pay for it. The Chargers rank fifth in the league in zone blitz rate this season, 18.4%. They're going to go after it. They're going to try to get it with everything that they got. They love to disguise the coverage, their pressure. They show man to man. They make you think they're going to switch up and then they go in and they head for the zone. So there's a lot of guys that can hurt you. We mentioned Mac earlier. We mentioned Bosa earlier. Der james is he's a player that i love to watch on the field but these are not the only guys that you need to watch this weekend folks jesse minner's got a lot of these guys playing i think maybe above expectation yeah

Starting point is 00:09:34 i don't say that with any he's a good coach yeah exactly i don't necessarily say that with any knock to these guys but puna ford the nose tackle having himself a great season henley is playing very well he's the guy with the green dot he's the one that's calling the signals out there these guys but puna for the nose tackle having himself a great season henley is playing very well he's the guy with the green dot he's the one that's calling the signals out there so you want to be mindful of where he is at all times tarheed still as a cornerback leading that team with four interceptions so there's a lot of layers that you have to be able to navigate through if you're the patriots offense but what you need to do is you need to stay calm and you need to stay on script. And this is where Alex Van Pelt and Drake may become so important. That synergy has to be

Starting point is 00:10:11 impeccable this week, folks, in order to make this work. You want to make your rookie quarterback comfortable. Sean Payton did something very similar with Bo Nix a couple of weeks ago when the Chargers and the Broncos faced up. You simplify the offense on early downs, use moving pockets, you mix in a little RPO, use base schemes. So that way Drake is not getting confused. He doesn't get prone to making bad decisions. It keeps this team honest in the first couple of downs to keep those third yardage situations very short. I don't think we can stress this enough, Murph. No, you have to get into second and third and short if you're going to have a shot on Saturday afternoon. And you mentioned Antonio Gibson,

Starting point is 00:10:53 and I think he is a key to this game, literally and figuratively, folks. He is one of the monster keys, but he is so important to what this team is going to do well. And again, with some of the ball security issues that Ramondre Stevenson has had lately, you may see a much heavier dose of Antonio Gibson. Murph, before we take our leave of the offense

Starting point is 00:11:12 and we move into defense mode, what other players on this offense right now, other than Drake May and Antonio Gibson, do you expect to hear a lot about on Saturday afternoon? Well, Keyshawn Boutte. All right. I think Keyshawn is coming into his own. I expect to see a lot more out of him because it's going to be Yak City this afternoon, tomorrow afternoon.

Starting point is 00:11:34 Demario Douglas is – I've got Mark down to have a big game. And, of course, you know, the best room in the building, man, the tight end room. Hello, Claire. Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper. know the best room in the building man the tight end room hello claire um hunter henry and austin hooper um may should be able to uh to use these guys exploit these guys across the middle and up the seams and move the chains that way it's not going to be a total antonio gibson afternoon that would be impossible absolutely and the charges would catch on to it quickly anyway and then it neutralizes your whole game plan but i love what you said about kayshawn i think this is an opportunity for him to build on the positives that we saw last sunday um i do think that demario

Starting point is 00:12:15 needs to get involved i think he will get involved i think he tried to see sprinkles of it last week but patriots just couldn't get the traction they needed to be able to get their offense into rhythm in the second half. And those tight ends, those are the security blankets for Drake May right now. Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, bottom line, there are ways to take it to this Chargers defense and the Patriots are going to have to be good. Maybe as good as they've been or better than they have been all season long, but there is a pathway. And once again, Murph has delivered impeccable offensive keys to victory. We're going to flip the script in just a moment, though, my friend, because we're going to talk about those defensive keys to victory. How do you solve a problem like Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert?

Starting point is 00:12:57 We're going to delve into exactly what the Patriots defense can do to neutralize Herbert and whether or not it has a chance of working on Saturday. All this and more when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Locked On listeners, nothing captures the holiday spirit quite like live sports and entertainment and game time is focused on togetherness this holiday season that means when you bring people together at live events the experience is that much better and it just happens to make the perfect gift game time has a new feature called

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Starting point is 00:14:13 Terms apply, so again, create an account and redeem the code LOCKEDONNFL. That's L-O-C-K-E-D-O-N-N-F-L for $20 off. Download GameTime today. What time is it? GameTime. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining us here today on Locked on Patriots, getting you ready for Saturday's kickoff. That's right, folks.

Starting point is 00:14:38 Saturday, December 28th, 1 p.m., Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts. You're New England Patriots hosting the Los Angeles Chargers. And here today on Locked On Patriots, we're getting you ready for kickoff, giving you the Patriots offensive and defensive monster keys, and of course, our game prediction. In the previous segment, we talked a lot about the offensive keys to victory. We're about to delve into the defensive keys, and we're about to pick the brain once again of the

Starting point is 00:15:05 man who crafts these keys each and every week meticulously and that is my good friend thomas murphy of diehardbostonsportsfans.com murph defensively this game is not going to be easy for the patriots as it's not going to be easy offensively this chargers team has a number of ways that they can beat you and a lot of that is because of the prowess of Justin Herbert versatile quarterback kid can basically do it all this is a team that is also improved in the running game we expect Chargers top running back J.K. Dobbins to be back in the lineup they've got guys like Ladd McConkie coming up big they've also got guys like Quinton Johnston who are up and down but can make

Starting point is 00:15:45 plays when you need to he leads the team in touchdowns oh and by the way the great joe alt is patrolling that offensive line for the chargers so murph when you sat down to craft these monster keys on defense and talk about how the patriots defense can neutralize it once you wiped away the joe alt tears what were you able to decipher when it came to this Patriots team from a front seven perspective, from a secondary perspective, what type of game plan should we expect from the Patriots defensively to neutralize Herbert in that offense? Well, Harbaugh is a run first type of guy. What they're going to need to do on Sunday is shut down the run first and make this team one-dimensional.

Starting point is 00:16:26 I understand that that is an oxymoron when you have somebody like Justin Herbert back there throwing the ball. But you take this away from them, and it plays into the Patriots' hands. They want to run the ball. They have not been a high-scoring offense. You know, there's been an aberration like there was in Denver a couple weeks ago. But other than that, man, this is not the high-flying, air-corialled chargers of our past, you know. Shut these guys down on the run. Make them one-dimensional. And of course, you know, that leads you to, you know, Ladd McConkie. My other draft crush from last year, Ladd McConkie

Starting point is 00:17:10 and what we're going to do to keep the ball out of his hands because once they're in his hands, it's just Yak City. Yeah, our good friend Andrew Carraway sang the praises of Ladd from the start of that draft cycle right through the Chargers picking him up earlier this year. He was there. He was there. He was there for the taking. I give credit to the Patriots press corps.

Starting point is 00:17:34 The question was asked this week. Obviously, Gerard Mayo was going to say we did our homework on him. He was a good player. We made the decisions that we made. This was a miss. There's no question about it because this kid is not only someone who knows how to separate from man coverage. He has a knack for being able to find soft spots in the zone. He can simply get open.

Starting point is 00:17:54 And players like that don't come along all that often. You can catch players that are excellent on the perimeter, that have all the skills that you need. You can get guys that are great in the slot but not every receiver coming out of this class even the highly touted ones are so great at being able to simply get open without having the top level speed to separate told you vendor this kid does it and jonathan jones had a very good game playing against khalil shakir last sunday against the buffalo bills he's going to draw that coverage this week. We heard Mike Pellegrino, the Patriots cornerbacks coach, say that Jonathan has been banged up for a while. He's starting to feel much better. He's much more limber. He's much more capable of playing the way he used to play. He's going to need to be even better this week because McConkie can get

Starting point is 00:18:38 open. That is a weapon the Patriots are going to have to zero in on and take away from Justin Herbert. Herbert is best when he's in play action. These guys can't bite on it. They're going to have to shut down that run early and not bite on the play action. Also, when he's extending plays, finding DBs who have slipped up or fell asleep, stay in Ladd McConkie's back pocket. Do not lose track of Quinton Johnson. He's got eight touchdowns this year.

Starting point is 00:19:04 And Will Disley, their tight end. Claire should know a lot about Will. Will has had a fantastic season. Everybody I just mentioned has big playability, 20-plus yard ability. These guys are going to have to mine their P's and Q's and never give up on the play because you know that this quarterback can extend plays like few others in the NFL right now. Absolutely. And I'm glad that you mentioned his ability to extend plays because we're going to channel a lot of Cobra Kai on offense. Patriots

Starting point is 00:19:38 may have to incorporate a little bit into it on defense as well because they're going to want to try to put pressure on Justin Herbert. I'm not saying it's easy, folks, but you have to at least try to put pressure on your opposing quarterback. Right now, Joe Alt is not the guy that's protecting his blind side. He's over on the right, but you're looking at someone that can anchor well and provide the type of blocking that this Chargers team needs to either open lanes for the run and be able to get J.K. Dobbins going, which if he's fully healthy or at least close to fully healthy, this is a kid that has wheels. He can get the job done on the ground, folks. He's a professional runner, as I like to call it. He can do it all and he can do it all pretty well. And also it allows Justin Herbert,

Starting point is 00:20:21 like you said, to be able to roll out and extend plays on the other side with his legs. My guess is that if they're going to try to attack that right side, it's going to be with Anthony Jennings. Can the Patriots neutralize Alt a little bit in ways that teams like the Broncos haven't been able to do? They're going to need to run some stunts. They're going to need to get a little exotic. Maybe get some blitzes from odd areas. You're not going to be able to blow past this offensive line. You're not going to be able to bull rush this offensive line. It's just too good. They put together an exceptional wall there in front of here. We're talking Roshon Slater, Zion Johnson, Bozeman there at the center. And, of course, you know, my guy Joe Alt over there on the right side who's getting better and better week after week.

Starting point is 00:21:15 It's not easy. I've told you, folks. We talked about it a lot preseason with the Patriots and drafting right tackles and thinking that they're going to play on the left side. Joe Alt's been a left tackle his whole life. I wish this game had been played week two or week three and not now because he's getting really comfortable over there on the right-hand side. You can't just flip a switch.

Starting point is 00:21:36 It's very different moving from one side to another. That's why I didn't think the Chargers were actually going to take him. I didn't think they were going to be smart enough to. Well, again, the Harbaugh effect that we talked about earlier this week here, Jim is always open to taking the best player available. And there's no question about that. When he was on the board and the Chargers were on the board, Joel was the top player, in my opinion, that was available and they took him. And again, you're looking at a guy that not only blends sound technique, he's got great hands, knows how to use them. Foot speed, excellent for a guy his size.

Starting point is 00:22:09 And we talk about Cobra Kai. We're going to throw in a little Miyagi-Do, Murph. We're going to talk about the balance. We're going to talk about flexibility. Those are so important for an offensive lineman. But again, before we take our leave of this defensive discussion, we've mentioned Jonathan Jones and we mentioned his role now in probably getting the draw on Ladd McConkie.

Starting point is 00:22:31 We've talked about guys that need to get after the quarterback a little bit. Keon White, I'm looking for someone who's looking for a big game. A little disheartening that we heard earlier this week. Yeah. Karen Garigian of MassLive, someone whose record is impeccable. And Murph, you and I hold Karen in the highest regard for great reason. Top shelf. Saying that, you know, Keon is talking about letting these two games go by and doing the best he can and then evaluating his situation. Not quite what you want to hear from the guy that you're supposed to be hitching your wagon to as maybe the top pass rusher on this team for another couple of years. Regardless, whether he's checking in or checking out, he needs to have a big game.

Starting point is 00:23:13 So I think you need a good, solid performance from Keon White. Who else are we missing here? Who else's name should be called defensively when the Patriots are on the field? Anthony Jennings, Dietrich Wise, we talked about. Jeremiah Farms might play a pivotal role in this game. And unfortunately, you know, the double T's, Jelani Tavai and Sion Takitaki, are questionable right now as to whether or not they're going to be in there. They're two players that, while are not household names,

Starting point is 00:23:45 have played some solid football for the Patriots this week, and they could sure use them tomorrow. Absolutely. Folks, it is almost time for kickoff. Depending on when you're listening to this, you're either hours or minutes, or maybe you're even cutting it so close that we're seconds away from kickoff. Murph and I are going to provide our game prediction and let you know how all this is going to shake out in Foxborough on Saturday

Starting point is 00:24:10 when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast wraps up right here on the Locked On Podcast Network, your team, every day. Locked On listeners, time is our most precious commodity. So don't waste it scrolling through the same mind-numbing content for hours and hours. How can you spend it wisely to improve yourself? Well, our sponsor, Hillsdale College, is offering more than 40 free, that's right, free online courses, including Constitution 101, The Meaning and the history of the U.S. Constitution, Introduction to Free Market Economics, The Great American Story, A Land of Hope, and a brand new

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Starting point is 00:25:30 Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining us here today on this Los Angeles Chargers New England Patriots preview show on Locked On Patriots. Of course, getting you ready for kickoff on Saturday, December 28th, 1 p.m. Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts, New England Patriots, and the Los Angeles Chargers doing battle. And, of course, if you've made us your first listen today or your first listen on Saturday morning, a special tip of the cap to all of you for doing so,

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Starting point is 00:26:16 right here on the Locked On Network. And of course, much like Locked On Patriots, Locked On NFL is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And when it comes to your Patriots locked on NFL is a proud part of the lockdown podcast network, your team every day. And when it comes to your team and Foxborough Patriots fans, the keys have been laid out.

Starting point is 00:26:35 All that needs to happen is they need to turn them. The offensive keys to victory, the defensive keys to victory provided impeccably by the legend himself, our good friend, Thomas Murphy at diehardbostonsportsfans.com. Murph, it's prediction time. We've talked about what the Patriots need to do offensively to win. We've talked about what the Patriots need to do defensively to win. If they do have that puncher's chance, how is this going to play out? How do you see it all playing out?

Starting point is 00:27:00 Can the Patriots pull the upset over the Chargers on Saturday? Well, first, I got a secret key for you. I held it out. I held it out of the article. You know, brought it here. Brought it here for you. I want to go up-tempo on Saturday. I want to play with more tempo.

Starting point is 00:27:15 I want a little muddle huddle. I want a little no huddle. I want the Patriots to get the Chargers into a defense that they might be able to exploit a little bit and keep those guys on the field. These guys are going to be tired. They're coming across the country playing an early game, 10 a.m. L.A. time. It's going to be cold out there. They're not going to want to hit.

Starting point is 00:27:37 Get out there, play with some tempo. Other than that, my prediction is that this is going to end up being a low-scoring game. That's going to play into the Patriots' hands. We know haven't scored more than 24 points in, I don't know how long. My prediction for this game is 21-17 Pats. Ooh, okay. Excellent. Definitely love to hear that. And folks, if the Patriots are to win, Murphy definitely got the right idea. Win on early downs. Make sure that you're getting the ball across don't wait for third down and fourth down to make things happen get the first on the first get the first on the second if need be but make sure that you're continuing to move these chains consistently against the chargers don't let

Starting point is 00:28:16 this team set up for third and long again jesse minter and that defense will make you pay for it this new england patriots team has to be smart and they have to be able to strike first. They have to strike hard Murph on the other side of the football. They need to shut down the run. They need to make this team one dimensional. Justin Herbert is as good of a quarterback as anyone in this league, but you and I both know that Jim Harbaugh is going to come into this game with a potentially fresh JK DobK. Dobbins ready to run the football. He wants to do it. It's how they open things up on their offense. And if the Patriots take away that ability, it makes the Chargers one-dimensional. It makes them a little bit easier to figure out.

Starting point is 00:28:56 And then you can start to find out a way to neutralize an incredibly skilled quarterback in Justin Herbert. Once again, not easy, but you need to take the chance to do it. And last is something I like to call eliminate bonehead football. This is something the Patriots have not been able to do consistently this year, Murph, but this involves no backwards passes, folks. Please stop that. Protect the football. Ramondre Stevenson looks fantastic at times. I still love him. You still love him. We all still love him here in New England.

Starting point is 00:29:29 But he's got to protect the football better. You're leading the league in fumbles, Ramondre, with seven. That's not good. Don't make it eight this week. Make sure that ball does not leave your hands unless it's going to the referee or unless you're handing it to someone after you score a touchdown. Either way, we're fine with that. But don't cough it up in the middle of the field and of course this goes to the offensive line watch your hands in the red zone stop with these penalties that are stalling

Starting point is 00:29:55 red zone drives and chances for this team to put points on the board then you have to back it up and settle for three or worse you get backed up and you can't settle for any points these are things the patriots have to do gotta play a clean game murph if they want a puncher's chance against la yeah without a doubt without a doubt and they do have a puncher's chance being at home playing a little bit of elements a little cold the guys will be a little drowsy yeah let's go out and get one more victory. You're the Prince of Positivity today here today, usually on the Principle of Positivity. Right. We're actually going to differ on our prediction for the game this week.

Starting point is 00:30:32 Usually we differ in final score, but we're generally on the same side. We think the Pats are going to win this or we think they're going to lose it. It's just about the semantics and the numbers. But I actually think the Chargers come in and take this one in a close one. I have the Chargers winning this game 20 to 17. I simply haven't seen enough consistency from the Patriots to say that this is their lane, to say that they're going to win on early downs and keep this team on its heels, that they're going to come in and they're going to be able to shut down the run

Starting point is 00:30:58 because Jim Harbaugh's got his shiny new tie back and he's ready to start doing it. And again, until they play bonehead free football, I can't give that type of endorsement to the new England Patriots and say, they're going to come out and win it. I know a lot of Patriots fans are probably saying that's good. We don't want to win it anyway. We want the draft pick folks. If they lose one of these last two games, they're guaranteed a top five pick. I think at this point with the type of player that you're trying to get in this draft, you go for the, you go for the W each and every time. And I think at this point with the type of player that you're trying to get in this draft, you go for the, you go for the W each and every time. And I think that's exactly what they're going to try to do. I simply don't think they're going to be able to do it because I just think

Starting point is 00:31:33 LA's personnel is that much better. So again, 20 to 17, this Los Angeles Chargers team comes in and wins. Murph is predicting the Pats take this one 21, 17. I'll tell you what, we're going to come back here on Monday and we're going to come back here on Monday and we're going to discuss who was right and who was wrong. And we're also going to break down all the action that you're going to see on the field this weekend. So keep it right here and locked in to Locked On Patriots. In the meantime, I want to give a special tip of the cap

Starting point is 00:31:58 and a huge thank you to my good friend who wasn't feeling very well today, folks, but still came on the show to provide his monster keys and all of the wisdom and the counsel and the entertainment that he brings. Murph, what can I say? We appreciate you. We love you, and we thank you. Is it going to be the Chargers or the Patriots coming away with the victory?

Starting point is 00:32:17 Drop us a note in the comments section below on YouTube if you're viewing this. If you're listening to it, send us a note on Twitter, either at M-D-A-B-A-T- at MDABATENFL or at Team Earth 207, or preferably the Lockdown Patriots account at LO underscore Patriots. In the meantime, folks, if you are heading to Gillette this weekend, drive safe, enjoy the game, do so responsibly, make it home safely. That's the most important thing in this holiday season. And of course, if you're watching from home, stay safe, stay well, always be the change you wish to see in the world. On

Starting point is 00:32:50 behalf of my good friend, Thomas Murphy, I'm Mike DeBate. Have a great day, a great weekend, and we'll see you back here again next time on Locked on Patriots.

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