Veteran defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale was unhappy with the New England Patriots‘ defensive effort in Saturday afternoon’s 40-7 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
It was a day where the defensive unit struggled throughout. The defense allowed 428 total yards on offense, including 147 yards rushing. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert completed 26 of 38 passes on the day for 281 yards and three touchdowns.
Ekuale, who made six tackles in total, said it felt like the players gave up late in the game.
“I feel like towards the end of the 4th quarter some guys give up and some guys play until the end,” Ekuale said, via Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald. “…To speak for myself, I’ve seen a lot of things. I feel like a lot of guys start to give up when things get tough.
“…I just feel like guys have to buy into what we’re doing here. Like, we know we’re going to face adversity. That’s what builds character. I have the “I feel like when we encounter adversity, that’s when we have to come together and try to finish things the right way and play together.”
There has certainly been growing frustration on the defensive side of the ball. Keion White, the Patriots’ second-year running back, continued to question his own future and the direction of the team after the loss.
Lack of talent is one thing, but if effort is a problem, it’s an even bigger problem for the Patriots.
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This article was originally published on Patriots Wire: Patriots veteran DT questions effort of some team players
