Karen Guregian: Defense wins championships, and the Patriots just proved they might have one

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Karen Guregian: Defense wins championships, and the Patriots just proved they might have one

Karen Guregian · MassLive

Mon, Jan 12, 2026 ·

5 min read

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FOXBOROUGH - If there was one area of concern when it came to assessing the Patriots chances in the post-season, a weakest link so to speak, it was the defense.

They were among the worst teams at preventing touchdowns in the red zone. They weren’t particularly good on third down, either.

Let’s just say the Patriots weren’t in danger of being placed in the “defense wins championships” category.

At least, it wasn’t a consideration until Justin Herbert and the LA Chargers arrived in town for their Wildcard matchup Sunday night.

Hebert and his offense were no match for Mike Vrabel’s defense. The Bolts left town not knowing what hit them, or how to stop it.

They couldn’t run (30 yards by the backs on 12 carries). They couldn’t pass (159 yards on 31 attempts). And with four cracks to get the ball in from the 10 yard line, with two of those chances coming from inside the 5-yard-line, they couldn’t cross.

In a scoreless game in the first quarter, that sequence set the stage for what was to come. The Patriots defense refused to budge, not letting Herbert & Co. score a touchdown en route to a 16-3 win.

“What our defense was able to do early in that game, in the red zone, inside the five-yard line or inside the nine-yard line, I think really set the tone for them for the rest of the game,” a pleased and proud Vrabel said following the win.

The Chargers only converted 1-of-10 third down chances. They went 1-for-3 on fourth down. Herbert’s favorite targets ( Keenan Allen , Ladd McConkey , Quinton Johnston - had just three catches each for 32 yards or less. The Patriots defense just didn’t let the Chargers star quarterback breathe.

“I think they probably got tired of hearing me talk about them being fourth in the league in third down,” Vrabel said of his defense. “What (the Chargers) were able to do as an offense, to be able to do that, you have to be able to create some longer yardage situations. We were able to do that.

“That was a real positive. I think being able to get drives stopped, certainly the Chargers want to possess the football, they want to wear you down. I don’t think we ever let them do that.”

Not even close.

The performance of the Patriots defense was above and beyond any pre-conceived expectation, and casts both the defense as well as the team in a new light as they advance to the divisional round to play either Pittsburgh or Houston .

Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh couldn’t help but tip his cap.

“Yeah, they were a big factor. That was a heck of a performance by them,” Harbaugh said of the Patriots defense. “They were able to get the stops, third down, red zone, (they) played really good situational. Played really good coverage . . . congratulate them. It was a heck of a game.”

As developments go, the rise of the Patriots defense can’t be understated or undersold. If that unit plays as well as it did to help send the team into the division round, thoughts of getting to the Super Bowl isn’t a pipe dream.

This performance was reminiscent of many delivered by some of the best Patriots defenses of the past during championship runs.

Against the Chargers Sunday night, it was one part Zak Kuhr dialing up confusing looks with his blitz packages, and one part execution by the players, who as a unit, are the healthiest they’ve been in some time.

“Zak [Kuhr] has been great all year. He keeps the dial spinning. He keeps offenses guessing. All year, he has been doing that,” Patriots linebacker Robert Spillane said. “You know, just after the game, talking to a few of the guys on the other team, they had no clue what we were doing. And they came up and said that, ‘We had no clue what you guys were in all game.’ So for him just to be able to build those packages throughout the week, our back-end players to know how to disguise the different defenses, really keeps quarterbacks guessing.”

The Patriots sacked Herbert six times, and harassed him every time he dropped back. Obviously, some of that was due to an incredibly suspect Chargers offensive line.

Herbert, considered one of the game’s best quarterbacks, didn’t crack 200 yards, completing just 19 of 31 passes. Mostly, he ran for his life, leading the team with 57 rushing yards.

The Patriots had struggled stopping the run the past few months. With both Milton Williams and Spillane returning from IR, that’s certainly changed the dynamic.

The Chargers entered the game with the 12-ranked offense in terms of yards. Herbert was the 9th-rated quarterback.

They left battered and beaten.

Asked about the game plan, and how they approached the Chargers, cornerback Carlton Davis III didn’t want to give away any trade secrets.

“I mean, I’m not going to give you the secret sauce, so I would never do that. But we did have a good feel for what they wanted to do,” Davis said. “Obviously, it’s the playoffs, and you’re going to be who you are in the playoffs. You’re not going to go out there and try different stuff. So, as long as we lock in and study other habits and what they do, I think we’ll have a good chance every week moving on.”

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