Quick Reactions to Patriots Win Over Chargers: This Was A Gritty Win
Maye's resilience and a dominant defense power Patriots to first playoff win since 2018
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Some quick reactions to Sunday night’s 16-3 win over the Chargers:
1) Patriots quarterback Drake Maye had a tough start to this one, with Maye battling for a good portion of the first half to deal with what was certainly a relentless Chargers defense.
They got to him early on their first possession, dropping him for a 3rd down sack. That was followed up with a deflected pass deep in their own end to Austin Hooper that was intercepted on just their second play of their next possession.
Fortunately, they survived that play thanks to an unbelievable effort by their defense. That group somehow managed to stop the Chargers on a 4th-and-2 from the New England 2-yard line, turning the football back over on downs.
But it was a rough start for Maye and the offense in the early going. He finished the first half completing just 6-of-15 (40%) for 95 yards and his interception. The 40% completion rate was his worst of the season in the first half, coming in behind the 56.3% completion rate he had in Buffalo.
Like that game, Maye finished strong and that helped his team maintain control in the second half as New England walked away with the win.
“It wasn’t pretty, that’s for sure,” said Maye after the game. “But this defense was so fun to watch. Congrats to them. It was so fun to watch. They won the game for us.”
“I didn’t throw it very well tonight. I need to be better. But we do what we had to do, and that’s what it takes in the playoffs. Just proud of this team. That was fun, man. That was fun to get one at home and look forward to being back here next week.”
Maye tried to make up for his early struggles with his feet, rushing for 55 yards on 11 carries in the first half, including a 37-yard run he ripped off on their final drive at the end of the half. That play helped set up Andy Borregales’ second field goal of the afternoon to give them a 6-3 edge going into the locker room.
In the second half, it was a different story. Despite a couple of fumbles, one of which he lost deep in Los Angeles’ territory that cost them points, he was much more efficient with the football. He completed 11-of-14 (78.6%) for 173 yards and a touchdown over the final two quarters, with Maye coming up with some nice throws, including a perfectly thrown pass on a 28-yard touchdown throw to Hunter Henry.
The best part about Maye in this game is that despite some miscues, he remained steady, which for other second-year players hasn’t always been the case. That’s been one of his biggest attributes all season and when they needed plays down the stretch, Maye made enough of them to help them advance.
Still, the turnovers are something Mike Vrabel talked about after the game, but he credited the QB for his poise and the way he stepped up as the club won its first playoff game since 2018.
“Yeah, I mean, again, we got to take care of the football,” said Vrabel when asked about Maye. “I thought he came through when we needed him. The tipped pass is something that was unfortunate. That turned into an interception. But the throw to Hunter [Henry], I thought, when we needed him, was elite.”
2) The defense was outstanding, with the club putting together a gritty effort as they absolutely manhandled the Chargers Sunday night.
One stat that was pretty surprising was how well they adjusted and really shut Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert down in the second half.
After finishing 10-of-13 (76.9%) for 93 yards in the first half, the defense absolutely clamped down the rest of the way. They held Herbert to just 1-of-4 for zero yards in the 3rd Quarter, with Herbert following that up with an 8-of-14 for 66-yard performance in the 4th Quarter that still saw the Chargers unable to put points on the board.
He tried to make plays with his feet, rushing for 31 yards on 4 carries, but the defense ended up making a couple of key sacks down the stretch, including one by Milton Williams to seal the win on 4th down on their final possession.
Overall, they brought him down six times for 39 yards, which was certainly one of the best performances we’ve seen from this group all year.
Linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson said that Vrabel talked about Herbert’s injured hand, knowing that ball security might be an opportunity. They took advantage, including a strip sack early in the fourth quarter.
“We knew going into the week, obviously, the quarterback had been having some issues with his hand,” said Chaisson. “So ball security was going to be a thing going into the week. Every chance that we get, man, was to attack the ball and get the ball out.”
“We knew we needed opportunity. We talk about that all the time with Vrabes [head coach Mike Vrabel]. Every chance that we get, let’s attack the ball with violence and effort.”
“Like I said, we knew he had a hand problem, so going into it, man, just try to punch the ball out for sure.”
That they did, and they also held the Chargers to just 1-of-10 on third down.
“Well, we talked to them about being willing to spill some blood out there and that the big dogs come out in January,” said Vrabel. “I think Milt [Milton Williams] took that to heart in the way that he played the game and the way he finished the game.”
Williams said he tried to echo that same message to his teammates
“He started the week off,” said Williams, crediting Vrabel and the coaching staff heading into the game. “He said, ‘Big dogs show up in January.’ I was just preaching that to our group all week. ‘It’s on us. What we do,’ I’ve been saying that all season, ‘We can control the game. If we do what we need to do in front, we’re going to win.’ And I felt like we did that tonight.”
Williams and Vrabel embraced after the game, with Williams giving Vrabel a bit of a head but as his coach hugged him. That exchange left Vrabel with a split lip, with the head coach bleeding visibly on the broadcast as the cameras zoomed in.
“That was just pure emotion,” joked Williams when asked about it. “I think I head butted everybody, but I forgot Vrabes ain’t got no helmet on. He’ll be all right, though. He’ll be all right.”
3) Rhamondre Stevenson came up with a solid performance Sunday night, with the veteran making a significant impact early in the contest.
Overall, Stevenson carried the ball 10 times for 53 yards, along with catching 3 passes for 75 yards on the afternoon. But one of those catches was a 48-yard catch and run on a nice throw from Maye early in the first quarter that helped set up Andy Borregales’ first field goal of the night.
On the play, Maye was pinned deep in their own end from the two-yard line. With the Chargers bearing down, Maye spotted something in their alignment that saw him audible to that play. The quarterback then zipped the ball through the coverage to Stevenson, who took care of the rest.
“Yeah, I think he just saw pressure was coming,” said Stevenson when asked about the play. “He checked the play a little bit, and I got out on a checkdown. He looked my way, threw it to me. I think KW [Kyle Williams] was over there blocking, and I just got behind him and tried to get as many yards as I can.”
It’s been good to see him finish strong and for that success to carry over into the postseason. He closed out the final three games of 2025 carrying 23 times for 229 yards and four touchdowns, and was definitely a key part of Sunday night’s victory.
Stevenson said after the game that his mom was on hand to see his team get the win, and he was glad she was able to be a part of it.
“It feels great. I love when she comes out and supports me,” said Stevenson. “My brother’s here as well. Just having family around to support me is great.”
4) One thing that was notable from Sunday night was the fact that with the Chargers doing their best to shut down every target for Maye, the quarterback remained diligent when it came to trying to get the ball to whoever was open.
The stat sheet certainly tells that story. Maye targeted 10 different receivers Sunday night, and completed passes to eight of them.
Maye was also targeted himself on a wild play where he handed the ball off and drifted out to the right, with Efton Chism ending up with a wide receiver pass, where Maye was the target.
Unfortunately, he was unable to complete the throw as Maye ran downfield, which is too bad given that Maye had a lot of green grass in front of him.
Many likely recall Julian Edelman, a former quarterback at Kent State, having success on a similar play. Instead, Chism came up short after overthrowing the QB for the incompletion.
Overall, Maye finished the night 17-of-29 for 268 yards along with a TD and his interception. However, when it comes to the wide receiver room, he just appreciates how hard they work, along with the relationship he’s built with everyone in that room.
“We knew it was going to be a details game with how much zone they played,” said Maye. “Those guys were fired up in the locker room to win, and everybody made some big plays. Just proud of that group for how they’ve grown up and allowed me to grow with them, and what they see.”
“They’re great players for us. Nobody complains. They all want the ball. I don’t blame them because they’re all good with it in their hands.”
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