The Patriots did what they needed to do in the first part of their two-game West Coast road trip, routing the Chargers 45-0 on Sunday.
Winners of four of its past five, New England (6-6) is back at .500 for the first time since Week 4 and still in the playoff hunt. But it still has little margin for error as it jumps into preparations for a Thursday night matchup with the Rams (8-4).
Throughout the season, coach Bill Belichick has been prodding his team to produce a complete effort in all three phases. It responded against the Chargers, suffocating one of the league’s top offenses while posting a season-high four touchdowns in the first half.