SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - Injured tight end Antonio Gates missed the entire week of practice but gave the San Diego Chargers a late boost on Sunday before falling 23-20 to the New England Patriots.
Struggling with a toe injury, three-time All-Pro Gates was only listed as active shortly before the opening kickoff to help the Chargers snap two-game losing streak.
Trailing 23-6, Gates helped his team mount a spirited rally when he finally broke clear of the New England defense with a four-yard touchdown with 7:25 left.
"It's hard not to be 100 percent and still play well against a team like the Patriots," Gates told reporters after San Diego slipped to 2-5 for the season.
"For a minute, I got lost on coverage and I was able to make some plays. You come out and you fight and scratch as a player and do what you can to win. But today wasn't enough."
Six-time Pro Bowler Gates, heavily defended by New England, did not connect with a single throw from Rivers in the first half but San Diego coach Norv Turner was unperturbed.
"Antonio is one of the great team players ever," Turner said. "I don't think he had any concern about if he had the ball thrown to him or not. (The Patriots) had two or three guys on him.
New England head coach Bill Belichick applauded the gutsy display by Gates, especially in the second half.
"Gates is a tough player, he hasn't missed any games. He always shows up to play and always plays well. He is a tough guy to handle," said Belichick.
Although the Chargers held the Patriots to 179 yards of offense while gaining 363 yards themselves, they committed four turnovers in the first half.
"This is something we've talked about since the season started, since training camp, and that's the turnover ratio," Gates said after moving into sixth place in the all-time standings for tight ends with 6,763 career yards.
"You continue to turn the ball over and you continue do the same things, it decreases your chance of winning football games. Getting it to translate to the game on Sunday is probably our biggest challenge at this point."
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Struggling with a toe injury, three-time All-Pro Gates was only listed as active shortly before the opening kickoff to help the Chargers snap two-game losing streak.
Trailing 23-6, Gates helped his team mount a spirited rally when he finally broke clear of the New England defense with a four-yard touchdown with 7:25 left.
"It's hard not to be 100 percent and still play well against a team like the Patriots," Gates told reporters after San Diego slipped to 2-5 for the season.
"For a minute, I got lost on coverage and I was able to make some plays. You come out and you fight and scratch as a player and do what you can to win. But today wasn't enough."
Six-time Pro Bowler Gates, heavily defended by New England, did not connect with a single throw from Rivers in the first half but San Diego coach Norv Turner was unperturbed.
"Antonio is one of the great team players ever," Turner said. "I don't think he had any concern about if he had the ball thrown to him or not. (The Patriots) had two or three guys on him.
New England head coach Bill Belichick applauded the gutsy display by Gates, especially in the second half.
"Gates is a tough player, he hasn't missed any games. He always shows up to play and always plays well. He is a tough guy to handle," said Belichick.
Although the Chargers held the Patriots to 179 yards of offense while gaining 363 yards themselves, they committed four turnovers in the first half.
"This is something we've talked about since the season started, since training camp, and that's the turnover ratio," Gates said after moving into sixth place in the all-time standings for tight ends with 6,763 career yards.
"You continue to turn the ball over and you continue do the same things, it decreases your chance of winning football games. Getting it to translate to the game on Sunday is probably our biggest challenge at this point."
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