Coming off their first loss in their last 8 games, the Patriots came to San Diego to face the 8-4 Chargers, who were on a three-game winning streak. After forcing the Chargers to punt, the Patriots put together a 17 play, 89-yard marathon drive to the Chargers 1-yard line, but on 3rd-and-goal Brady was sacked for a 7-yard loss and Shareece Wright blocked Gostkowski's 26-yard field goal attempt, but he was flagged for being offsides, and Gostkowski made a 22-yard field goal. The Chargers answered the Patriots on their next drive, marching 80 yards in 11 plays with Philip Rivers hitting Malcolm Floyd for a 15-yard touchdown to put the Chargers up 7-3. On the fourth play of the Patriots next drive, Brady threw a two-yard pass to LaFell, who was stripped by Jahleel Addae with Darrell Stuckey picking up the fumble and rumbling 53 yards for a touchdown and a 14-3 Chargers lead. The Patriots drove all the way to the Charges 4-yard line, but the Chargers defense made a stand and the Patriots settled for a 22-yard Gostkowski field goal, and the score was 14-6. After forcing a Chargers three-and-out, Bolden blockedMike Scifres' punt, knocking him out of the game, at the Chargers 25. Four plays later, Brady threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Gronkowski, cutting the deficit to 14-13. After another Chargers punt, the Patriots drove to the Chargers 18, but Brady was intercepted by Manti Te'o at the 4, concluding a sloppy, unimpressive, first half for both offenses. Both offenses came out just as bad in the second half, resulting in a combined five consecutive 3-and-outs. Midway through the third quarter, Devin McCourty intercepted Rivers at the Patriots 44 and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown, but a helmet-to-helmet hit by Browner on Ladarius Green nullified the score. Replays showed Browner hit his shoulder, not his head, but the ruling was upheld. The break seemed to spur the Chargers to a score, as they reached Patriots territory but Rivers was intercepted by Akeem Ayers at the Patriots 30-yard line. The Patriots offense continued their cold streak by going three-and-out on their fourth straight drive, but their defense continued to shut down San Diego. A 16-yard punt return by Edelman set the Patriots up at their own 25. They marched 55 yards to the Chargers 20, and took the lead on a 38-yard Gostkowski field goal, giving the Patriot a 16-14 lead midway through the fourth quarter. After the Chargers went three-and-out for the fourth time in five drives(the lone exception ending in an interception), Brady hit Edelman on the first play of the their next drive for a 69-yard catch-and-run touchdown. The extra point made the score 23-14, sealing another Patriots win. Despite the win, the Chargers showed that the Patriots offense was still prone to mistakes. Edelman was the star, with 8 catches for 141 yards and a touchdown. The Patriots defense had a great showing, holding the Chargers to just 216 total yards, sacking Philip Rivers four times, with an interception. This loss would send the Chargers to ultimately lose three of their last four and their season.

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