The Patriots climbed to 4-4 on the season as they earned a big win over the Chargers yesterday! There were many good performances, so let’s go through them now! Here are your Ups & Downs from Week 8!
Ups
What a game for Phillips, against his former team he produced an MVP performance, picking off Herbert twice, one of which he took to the house for a touchdown. The former UDFA has become a valuable piece of the Pats puzzle since he arrived at the start of last season, I hope they extend him for a few more years.
Gunner Olszewski
There is something about playing at Sofi Stadium that gets Gunner going! He had his best return game of the season, helping the Patriots secure good field position on a number of occasions. He’s a big up this week!
Damien Harris
Another solid day for Harris on the ground, nothing special, but he scored the only offensive touchdown of the day. Really, if we’re being honest, the offense should have run it in on third and fourth down when they tried to force throws into the endzone. Another UP day for Harris!
Nick Folk
The most consistent Patriot, Nick Folk everybody! Folk went 4/4 on field goals yesterday, continuing his unreal stretch with the Patriots.
Matthew Judon
The red-sleeved demon HAUNTED Justin Herbert on Halloween, recording 1.5 sacks and multiple pressures as the former Pro-Bowler returned to form. I mentioned in my preview that Judon would be one to watch, and he was.
Myles Bryant
I just wanted to mention Bryant as it was the second game in a row that he stood out to me and made a few plays. He continues to earn his minutes on defense, proving a worthy promotion to the 53-man roster.
Downs
You all know why he’s on this list, you can’t be giving up those types of plays late on, you just can’t. I like Mills, I think he has a role to play on this defense, but the coaches need to re-think how to utilize his strengths because he keeps getting burned.
More must-reads: