When Tom Brady went out for the season with a severe injury in Week 1 against the Chiefs most experts thought the Patriots would be toast.  After all, Matt Cassel hadn’t started a game since high school and he was being thrust into the starting role at QB.  Cassel has played in 10 games this season for the Patriots and he has completed 208 of 316 passes (65.8%) for 2,200 yards with 10 TD passes and 7 interceptions (87.3 QB Rating).  He has also carried the football 51 times for 185 yards (3.6 ypc) with 1 TD run.  It will be up to Cassel to keep playing well if the Patriots are to win the AFC East or make the playoffs as a Wild Card.

The defense and special teams let the Patriots down in the football game last night.  But, QB Matt Cassell kept the Patriots in the game with a huge effort.  He completed 30 of 51 passes for 400 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 interceptions last night.  He also carried the football 8 times for 62 yards (7.8 ypc) against the Jets so you can’t blame the loss on him.  Kevin Faulk was busy in this game as he carried the ball 8 times for 38 yards (4.8 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 49 yards (12.3 avg).  Matt Cassell spread the ball around to his receivers and that was very effective last night.  Wes Welker led the way in the passing game for the Patriots last night with 108 yards on 7 grabs (15.4 avg).  TE Ben Watson (8 rec, 88 yards) and WR Jabar Gaffney (7 rec, 86 yards) each caught a TD pass in the game last night.  The Patriots finished up with 125 yards rushing on 25 carries (5.0 ypc) last night and they also completed 30 of 51 passes for 386 yards.

Rookie linebacker Jared Mayo led the way for the Patriots’ defense with 20 tackles in this game.  He also defensed a pass as he was all over the football field.  Still, the Patriots defense as a whole did not play well as the Jets rushed for 140 yards on 39 carries (3.6 ypc) and they also completed 26 of 33 passes for 235 yards.  The special teams also killed the Patriots in this game as Leon Washington had a 92-yard kickoff return for a TD against them.  The Patriots have fallen to 6-4 in the AFC East, 1 game behind the Jets.

The Patriots might have to put starting outside linebacker Adalius Thomas on Injured Reserve as he has suffered a broken forearm.  This is a huge blow to the Patriots’ defense as Thomas is the best pass rusher on the team.  He has 34 tackles, 5 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss and he has defensed 4 passes.  This was a player that the Patriots just can’t replace.

Laurence Maroney, LaMont Jordan and Sammy Morris are the three top running backs on the Patriots’ roster and none of them will be playing tomorrow putting a lot of pressure on Matt Cassel in the passing game.  Maroney is out for the season with a shoulder injury proving that he just can’t be counted on in the future by the Patriots as he is proving to be very injury prone.  He has carried the football 28 times for 93 yards (3.3 ypc) this season.  Sammy Morris will miss the next 2-3 weeks with a knee injury.  He has carried the ball 69 times for 307 yards (4.4 ypc) with 4 TD runs and he also has caught 12 passes for 90 yards (7.5 avg).  The Patriots will miss Morris’ toughness between the tackles.  LaMont Jordan has a calf injury that will likely cause him to miss tomorrow’s football game.  He has carried the ball 24 times for 106 yards (4.4 ypc) so far this season.  What this all means is that Kevin Faulk and Benjarvus Green-Ellis will have to carry the load in the running game for the Patriots.  Faulk has carried the ball 23 times for 152 yards (6.6 ypc) with 2 TD runs and he has also caught 16 passes for 120 yards (7.5 avg).  He is getting up there in years so look for the Patriots to watch his workload tomorrow.  Benjarvus Green-Ellis has carried the ball 13 times for 65 yards (5.0 ypc) with a TD run and he has also caught 1 pass for 9 yards.  It will be interesting to see the play selection tomorrow for the Patriots who have been trying to protect Matt Cassel to this point.

The Patriots might have the guts to let Matt Cassel throw the ball against the Chargers who are allowing 265.6 yards passing per game (103.0 QB Rating).  But, the more likely scenario for the Patriots’ offense will likely be keeping the ball on the ground with Sammy Morris, LaMont Jordan, Laurence Maroney and Kevin Faulk against the Chargers who are allowing 113.4 yards rushing per game (4.4 ypc).  The Chargers have 12 sacks this season and the Patriots’ line hasn’t pass blocked well this year allowing 16 sacks so the Patriots will likely keep the passing game to the short stuff so look for Wes Welker to have a better game than Randy Moss this week.

The Chargers will likely try to punish the Patriots’ defense with the running game as LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles should find a lot of running room as the Patriots are allowing 124.8 yards rushing per game (4.9 ypc) this season.  Antonio Gates should also had a huge game working against the Patriots’ safeties who appear overmatched.  Philip Rivers has been excellent this season so look for him to also test the Patriots deep with Vincent Jackson and 2nd year man Craig Davis who will be starting in injured Chris Chambers (ankle) place.

PREDICTION:  SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 27, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 16