Winners & losers

Who’s up, who’s down after the Patriots’ 41-17 loss to the Chargers:

Up:
Patrick Pass –- Fullback/running back establishes a new career high with eight receptions.

David Givens –- Receiver was solid with six catches for 66 yards.

Tim Dwight –- Receiver had a stellar 30-yard touchdown catch.

Coverage units –- Kickoff and punt coverage groups held Darren Sproles in check.

Down:
Secondary –- The Chargers had four passing plays of 20 yards or more, and eight passing plays that went for 10-19 yards apiece.

Deion Branch –- Super Bowl MVP was held to one catch for six yards.

Run defense –- Chargers finish with 40 carries for 183 yards (4.6 average) as the Patriots missed too many tackles.

Adam Vinatieri –- Misses a 37-yard field goal that would have given the team a 3-0 lead.

Looking ahead, we’ll plan on posting our next update Monday after Bill Belichick’s press conference.

–Mike