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What they’re saying nationally about Patriots’ playoff win vs. Chargers
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- What they’re saying nationally about Patriots’ playoff win vs. Chargers
The New England Patriots are moving on after they beat the Los Angeles Chargers , 16-3, in the AFC Wild Card game on Sunday night.
The defense shined when it mattered the most and while the offense didn’t explode the way it had throughout the regular season, one touchdown was enough to push New England to the AFC Division game .
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Here’s what’s being said after the Patriots’ win.
“They can win a defensive, field-position struggle. The Patriots haven’t been in many low-scoring games this season and got a big effort from their defense against the Chargers, especially considering their first touchdown didn’t come until the fourth quarter. Rookie kicker Andy Borregales was perfect on his three field goal attempts, and the defense sacked Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert five times and held Los Angeles to 207 yards of total offense.”
“New England hit Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert 11 times and sacked him six times in their 16-3 win on Sunday night. How rare was that pass-rush performance? Out of 272 regular-season games in 2025, just 12 of them (4.4%), involved defenses hitting and sacking the opposing quarterback as much as the Patriots did to Herbert in the wild card round.
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“However, that doesn’t mean their pass rush is now on the level of the AFC’s No. 1 seed, the Denver Broncos . Denver’s franchise-record 68 sacks were tied for the fifth-most in a season by any team, and it’s the Broncos’ second season in a row with 60-plus sacks as a team. The Patriots amassed just 35 sacks in the regular season, tied for the seventh-fewest in the league along with the Micah Parsons-less Dallas Cowboys among other teams.
“New England benefitted greatly from facing the worst offensive line in football in the Rashawn Slater-less and Joe Alt-less Chargers’ unit. The degree of difficulty for the Patriots’ pass rush will increase exponentially upon facing either the Houston Texans (35.2% quarterback pressure rate allowed, 12th-best in the NFL) or the Pittsburgh Steelers (25% quarterback pressure rate allowed, best in the NFL) in the divisional round.”
“The Chargers managed 207 total yards. Justin Herbert and Co. went a combined two-for-13 on third and fourth downs. New England sacked Herbert six times. The unit hit Los Angeles’ quarterback on 11 different occasions. No Chargers target managed more than three receptions. Jim Harbaugh’s squad didn’t score a touchdown during two trips into the red zone.
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“The Patriots controlled the game primarily through a fantastic outing by their defense.”
“ Drake Maye ’s playoff debut got off to a skittish start, but he rallied the Patriots in a defensive battle and gave them just enough offense to advance in the playoffs for the first time in nearly seven years. The possible MVP winner was only 6-of-15 passing for 95 yards and an interception in the first half, and Maye was lucky the pick didn’t cost the Patriots points. He led two important field-goal drives in the first half, though, and used his legs well with 52 first-half rushing yards.
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“After halftime, his arm got loose. Maye completed 11 of 14 passes for 173 yards and a TD in the second half, converting a few big third downs to Hunter Henry and then hitting Henry on the dagger – a 28-yard pass for the only touchdown of the game. Maye wasn’t perfect after halftime, missing Austin Hooper for a touchdown and taking a strip sack midway through the fourth quarter, fortunate it wasn’t a turnover had Patriots offensive lineman Jared Wilson not fallen on it. The Patriots’ offensive line struggled at times, especially Wilson and Will Campbell , the rookie duo, handling pressure. But Maye did enough to carry the Patriots through in a good, not great showing."
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“With New England hosting its first home playoff game in seven years, it was only appropriate that Mike Vrabel’s crew authored something of a throwback performance. The defense dictating terms hasn’t exactly been the Patriots’ calling card all season, but the unit coalesced and held the Chargers to just 207 total yards, a 1-for-10 mark on third downs and a 0-for-2 red-zone rate. And even though Milton Williams bloodied Vrabel, the coach probably won’t be bothered so long as the defensive tackle keeps turning in disruptive nights like this, as the marquee free-agent signing netted two sacks and helped stymie the Bolts’ rushing attack.
“Injuries to starting cornerbacks Christian Gonzalez (head) and Carlton Davis III (toe) bear watching for a group that will see the level of difficulty ratcheted up in the next round, but the bottom line was very encouraging for something of an unknown entity.”
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“The (Milton) Williams signing has worked out wonderfully. But so have so many other moves. What’s most remarkable about this magical season is that nearly every lever Vrabel has pulled has worked out perfectly.
“He orchestrated a developmental plan for quarterback Drake Maye that helped make him an MVP candidate. He played a big role in the team’s draft class, with all 11 members on the active roster. He had to choose a new defensive coordinator midseason, then watched that defense throttle and perplex a successful head coach and quarterback tandem on the other sideline Sunday night.
“And, perhaps most amazingly, he made it feel like the good old days again at Gillette Stadium.”
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