The Patriots defense stifled Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert on Sunday.
Heading into the final drive, Herbert completed just 12 of 26 passes for 143 yards while being down 10 points.
After taking its foot off the gas, New England allowed Herbert to scamper up the field on Los Angeles’ final offensive drive.
With 40 seconds left in the game, Herbert found rookie wide receiver Josh Palmer in the end zone. Over two defenders, Palmer showed the body control, toughness, and hands to high-point and come down with the ball.
What a grab by the rookie Josh Palmer! #BoltUp
📺: #NEvsLAC on CBS
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/ZZy86hGW7z— NFL (@NFL) October 31, 2021
The touchdown grab was the first of Palmer’s professional career.
“Hell of a catch. Hell of a catch,” wide receiver Keenan Allen said. “That’s the type [of] stuff we need. Especially late like that, we need a play, somebody’s gonna make one, Josh came up and made a play.
It’s big time … A ball like that, a catch like that, that’s a momentum shift. You make a catch like that; you automatically think we’re gonna get the onside kick. It was good stuff.”
Selected by the Bolts in the third round out of Tennessee, Palmer has flashed in spurts when he has been on the field. On 11 targets, he has caught seven of them for 82 yards (11.7 yards per reception).
In need of an offensive spark after stalling the past two games, Palmer could possibly see his target volume increase moving forward.
