Coming off a competitive performance in Buffalo, the New England Patriots hoped to carry some positive momentum into their final two-game stretch of the 2024 season. However, the first of those contest was another step in the wrong direction for the team of first-year head coach Jerod Mayo.

Showing little signs of life on both offense and defense, the Patriots were blown out 40-7 by the visiting Los Angeles Chargers. New England has now dropped to 3-13 on the year.

Here are our quick-hit observations from a rainy afternoon at Gillette Stadium.

Old-fashioned blowout culminates in ‘Fire Mayo’ chants

The 40-7 loss goes into the books as the most lopsided defeat in Jerod Mayo’s young career as Patriots head coach. The game was every bit the blowout the final score made it look like.

Outside of beating New England by 33 points, the Chargers also out-gained their opponent 428 to 181 yards, had 29 first downs to 11, ran 77 plays to 48, and held the ball 40:34 compared to the Patriots’ 19:26. No matter how you look at it, the game was a train wreck from the home team’s point of view.

In fact, the contest got so out of hand that the Chargers were able to pull starting quarterback Justin Herbert with almost a full quarter left (10:54). Up 37-7 at that point, there was no doubt the game was long decided.

This, in turn, created some unease among the Foxboro Faithful. At one point, “Fire Mayo” chants began breaking out in the stands. Mayo going one-and-done still seems unlikely, but a noncompetitive loss in a standalone game surely will neither help him nor his coaching staff heading toward a pivotal offseason.

Patriots’ best players get banged up

New England has long been eliminated from playoff contention, meaning that the primary goals over the remainder of the 2024 season were two-fold: lay a strong foundation to build on in 2025, and get out of the season as healthy as possible.

Both of those goals took a hit on Saturday, with the Patriots seeing their two best players get banged up.

First up was quarterback Drake Maye, who exited the game after a third down scramble on his team’s opening possession. Maye took a hit to the head and left first for the medical tent on the sidelines and later the locker room. The rookie QB was ultimately cleared to return to the game, meaning he avoided a second concussion this season.

Christian Gonzalez did not get that lucky. The standout cornerback hit his head hard on a tackle attempt against Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey. He too exited the game for the medical tent and locker room, but was eventually ruled out due to the injury he suffered on the collision. His status heading into the season finale against the Buffalo Bills next weekend is naturally in question.

Drake Maye delivers lone highlight moment

From top to bottom, their loss to the Chargers was arguably the worst game of what is already an underwhelming season. Through it all, however, Drake Maye continues to prove himself a player worthy of the “face of the franchise” label.

After his brief injury scare in the first quarter, the youngster went on to complete all five of his pass attempts in the first half for 66 yards and a highlight-reel touchdown. That score showed both his awareness and ability to make something out of nothing.

Getting a free play after an offsides call against the Chargers defense, the 22-year-old heaved a pass up the field knowing that a re-do was an option. No such re-do was needed: Maye found DeMario Douglas 36 yards down the field, and the sophomore wide receiver was able to haul the ball in and roll the final inches into the end zone.

The touchdown pass was Maye’s 15th of the season, and helped him set a new Patriots rookie record: his streak of eight straight games with at least one TD pass bests Jim Plunkett’s mark set in 1971.

On the day, the youngster completed 12 of 22 pass attempts for 117 yards with that one score. He also gained 32 yards on six carries, once again showing his ability and willingness to attack defenses more than one way.

Rhamondre Stevenson draws surprising start at running back

Speaking to 98.5 The Sports Hub ahead of Saturday’s game, head coach Jerod Mayo announced that Antonio Gibson would get the starting nod at the running back position over Rhamondre Stevenson. The change seemed like a logical one given Stevenson’s fumble issues this season, and the fact he was involved in two turnovers last week against the Buffalo Bills.

When the Patriots offense first took the field, however, it was Stevenson who lined up in the backfield. The fourth-year man, who signed a four-year, $36 million contract extension in the offseason, also took a handoff on the play, gaining 5 yards in the process.

“That was just a coaching decision,” Mayo said after the game.

On the day, Stevenson ended up touching the ball twice for a combined gain of 1 yard. For comparison, Gibson finished with 12 carries for 63 yards.

Lack of pass rush at the heart of Patriots’ defensive struggles

Losing Christian Gonzalez in the early second quarter did not make things easier for New England’s defense, but one would still have hoped to see more resistance out of the unit. After all, it once again struggled to play consistent football and found itself unable to slow the opponent on both the ground and through the air.

Possibly the biggest issue on Saturday was a lack of pass rush. While Keion White managed to get a couple of pressures in, resulting in errant throws, the Patriots defense failed to sack quarterback Justin Herbert even once.

Giving a quarterback of that caliber time to go through his progressions is a recipe for disaster, particularly when combined with a secondary incapable of locking receivers down. Upon initial viewing, veteran cornerback Jonathan Jones in particular had a rough day in that regard.

Would increased pressure have helped? Possibly, but that is the story of the Patriots defense in 2024: complementary football on that side of the ball is wishful thinking.

Cole Strange goes wire-to-wire in center debut

With Ben Brown out due to a concussion, the Patriots offensive line was forced to adapt yet again. It did so by inserting 2022 first-round draft pick Cole Strange, a 27-game starter at left guard over the first two years of his career, at Brown’s usual spot at center.

The 12th different offensive lineman to start a game for the Patriots this season, Strange went wire-to-wire in his debut at the position. The 26-year-old had his ups and downs. While mostly quiet in the first half — a positive sign for any offensive lineman — he had some miscues in the second.

He appeared to snap the ball early on a 3rd-and-5 in the third quarter, leading to a 7-yard sack. Later, he was flagged for illegally charging downfield to take a 19-yard pass from Maye to DeMario Douglas off the board.

Ladd McConkey keeps rubbing salt into the draft day wound

The Patriots entered the 2024 draft with a definitive need at the wide receiver position, and as the owners of the 34th overall selection in the second round were in a prime spot to invest in an intriguing prospect out of Georgia. However, Eliot Wolf and company decided not to take Ladd McConkey and instead trade with the Chargers.

New England ended up picking wideouts Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker at 37 and 110, respectively, with the picks acquired in the move. Neither of the two registered any catches against L.A. on Saturday.

McConkey, meanwhile, had an impressive outing. Leading his team in receiving, the speedy slot defender caught eight passes for 94 yards and a couple of touchdowns. In fact, his production in that one game compares favorably to the 12 catches for 87 yards and 2 scores produced by the Polk-Baker combination so far this season.