Bill Belichick's New England Patriots get most impressive victory of season vs. Los Angeles Chargers

LOS ANGELES — Bill Belichick smiled on Sunday.

Twice.

In public.

And, who knows, the New England Patriots’ coach might have smiled in private, too, on a day even the most dour Patriot would have trouble masking his pleasure.

The Patriots beat the Los Angeles Chargers, 27-24, at SoFi Stadium and signaled Belichick’s team could be a playoff contender – and far more formidable than once thought.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

And so Belichick could be seen smiling on the sidelines as the final seconds ticked off the clock and the Patriots climbed back to .500 at 4-4 with their most impressive victory of the season – which is to say their first victory over a team with a winning record.  

“A really good win for us today,’’ Belichick said at his postgame press conference. “The Chargers have a good football team. To come in here and to come out with a win, it’s a great, great feeling.’’

The Patriots, once 1-3, have won three of their last four games and showed something new: the ability to close out games. It was something painfully absent when the Patriots suffered losses to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins by a combined three points and lost to the Dallas Cowboys in overtime.

But on Sunday, trailing 17-16 after the third quarter, the Patriots pulled away 27-17 to avoid heartbreak.

“We feel pretty good,’’ Patriots return specialist Gunner Olszewski said. “We’ve got to splice up the tape and I’m sure Bill will find some things to bring our confidence level down a little bit.’’

Olszewski cracked a smile, but it’s no joke.

“Could have coached better, played better,’’ Belichick said after the game, and he’ll surely examine the play of his quarterback.

Rookie Mac Jones still isn’t making Patriots fans forget about Tom Brady and the fact he still could be playing in New England rather than for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On Sunday, Jones completed barely 50 percent of his passes (18-for-35) and had no touchdowns while throwing for 218 yards.

But he didn’t have an interception, either. And with the Patriots leading 24-17, Jones completed six straight passes on a 14-play, 56-yard drive that ended with a field goal and essentially sealed the Patriots' victory.

In eight starts, Jones has completed 70.4 percent of his passes and thrown for 1,779 yards and nine touchdowns with six interceptions.

“Mac’s done a great job,’’ Belichick said. “He prepares hard. He works hard. He definitely knows what to do. Some things he needs to see and to experience and there’s really no substitute for that other than getting out there and doing it.’’

MORE:32 things we learned from Week 8

But what the Patriots’ victory over the Chargers showed is Jones doesn’t have to be great for them to win. This team has plenty of firepower elsewhere.

Damien Harris rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, and the Patriots amassed 141 rushing yards in all. It took the pressure off Jones. And so did the Patriots defense.

New England kept Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert off balance all day. Patriots safety Adrian Phillips intercepted Herbert twice, returning one for a touchdown while the second led to a field goal.

In what was a complete game for the Patriots, kicker Nick Folk made all four of his field goals and the special teams was sound elsewhere, too.

It was the kind of performance that bodes well for an AFC team that looks ready to peak in the second half of the season.

Oh, and Belichick’s second smile in public?

It came after the last question from a reporter.

What was it like to see the offense kind of finishing things off of that long drive late in the fourth quarter? 

“Yeah, it’s always great to see the offense move the ball and score points,’’ Belichick said, the corners of his mouth turning upward. “I love it.’’