WHEN THE PATRIOTS HAVE THE BALL

Although Cassel (707 passing yards, 3 TD, 3 INT) has shown himself to be a serviceable quarterback, it's become evident that the Patriots are no longer the record-setting offensive juggernaut that propelled the team to a 16-0 regular season in 2007 without Brady at the controls. New England enters Sunday's test ranked just 21st in the NFL in passing offense (184.5 ypg) and have gone to a more conservative approach with Cassel, who's been accurate with his shorter passes but has struggled some on deep throws. The fourth-year pro also has a tendency to hang in the pocket for long stretches, as he's taken 13 sacks in his three starts. The Patriots' simplified passing game has also curtailed the production of big-play wide receiver Randy Moss (17 receptions, 274 yards, 2 TD), although the six-time Pro Bowler did haul in a long touchdown heave from Cassel last week and finished with 111 yards on five catches against the 49ers. The ultra-reliable Wes Welker leads the team with 27 receptions and has caught at least six passes in every game this year.

The Patriots have also had their problems running the ball at times, as expected top back Laurence Maroney's (93 rushing yards) effectiveness has been slowed by a lingering shoulder injury and second-stringer Sammy Morris (143 rushing yards, 2 TD, 8 receptions) is more of a plodder than a breakaway threat. New England's best back in the early going has actually been offseason pickup LaMont Jordan (106 rushing yards), but the former Raider left last week's game with a strained calf and is questionable to play on Sunday. Veteran Kevin Faulk (54 rushing yards, 2 TD, 10 receptions) is still excelling in his third-down role, however, and the longtime Pat delivered two short touchdown runs in the San Francisco win.

New England's backfield-by-committee will be taking on a San Diego defense that permitted Miami standout Ronnie Brown to rush for 125 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries in last week's loss. The Chargers did get inside linebacker Stephen Cooper, the team's leading tackler last year, back last week after he finished out a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's steroids policy. He compiled eight tackles (7 solo) against the Dolphins and should help out a run defense that is ranked 18th in the league (113.4 ypg) at the moment. San Diego does sport a three-time Pro Bowl honoree up front in nose tackle Jamal Williams (11 tackles, 0.5 sacks), although the hefty 32- year-old seems to be somewhat in decline.

While the Chargers have been so-so versus the run, the defense has had its share of trouble containing enemy quarterbacks. San Diego is yielding league worsts of 265.6 passing yards per game and 10 touchdowns through the air, a surprising figure for a unit that possesses two good cornerbacks in Antonio Cromartie (25 tackles, 2 INT, 7 PD) and Quentin Jammer (27 tackles, 6 PD) and has still gotten a decent pass rush even with Merriman on the shelf. Fill-in Jyles Tucker (14 tackles) recorded three sacks over the first four weeks but will miss a second straight game due to a hamstring strain, with special-teams ace Marques Harris (11 tackles, 1.5 sacks) slated to fill in. Fellow outside linebacker Shaun Phillips (24 tackles, 3.5 sacks) has remained productive in Merriman's absence, having registered a sack in each of the last three tilts.

WHEN THE CHARGERS HAVE THE BALL

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