Well, we have one explanation for why Albert Haynesworth was so quiet last week.
Haynesworth’s back injury is bad enough to keep him out of this weekend’s game. the Patriots downgraded Haynesworth, safety Patrick Chung, and wide receiver Taylor Price to out on Saturday.
Greg Bedard of the Boston Globe noted early this week that Haynesworth didn’t have a noteworthy snap in 22 plays. Bedard charted the snaps and notes that Chargers guard Kris Dielman handled Haynesworth 1-on-1 on 15 of the plays.
The Patriots are thin in a couple of key areas. They are missing Haynesworth, Myron Pryor, and Mike Wright on the defensive line. With tight end Aaron Hernandez out in addition to Price, we’d expect to see Chad Ochocinco on the field a lot more.