Patriots HC Bill Belichick struggles against chaotic QBs

On the surface, Chargers QB Justin Herbert seems similar to Allen. Both are tall, athletic, and have strong arms. But Herbert has fared poorly against Belichick because he's much more predictable in the pocket than Allen.

Belichick has bested other similar quarterbacks, such as Detroit's Jared Goff and former Chargers star Philip Rivers, whose styles are similar to Herbert's.

Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson falls into the chaotic QB category, too. He has a 107.2 passer rating, well above average, against Belichick. In a 37-26 win in Week 3 over New England, he accounted for five TDs -- four passing and one running. He often gashes the Patriots with his legs.

Chicago QB Justin Fields also falls into the chaotic category. His lone win since September was a 33-14 upset of the Patriots in Week 7 on "Monday Night Football." New England never really knew what they were getting on a given play.

The first 30 seconds of Belichick's postgame news conference after the Week 13 loss to Buffalo were telling.

"We just couldn't do enough," he said. It felt like an admission of his difficulty defending Allen.

Belichick is a football savant, but if you break his highly structured defenses, you can beat the chess master at a game he doesn't like to play.