The New England Patriots successfully defended their home turf in the wild card round of the NFL playoffs. Hosting the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium, they celebrated a 16-3 victory to keep their season alive and advance to the divisional round.
Here is a Patriots-centric view at some of the key moments of the game.
Moment No. 1: Denied
The Patriots offense did not get off to the greatest start. After a punt on their first series, the second possession did not get any better: on the series’ second play, a Drake
Maye pass intended for Austin Hooper was tipped into the air and intercepted to give L.A. the ball at the New England 10-yard line.
Despite setting up shop in prime field position, the Chargers came away with no points on their ensuing possession. The Patriots’ much-maligned red zone defense, after all, was able to deliver a crucial stop.
Defensive play caller Zak Kuhr brought some timely all-out pressure against the Chargers’ offensive line, forcing quarterback Justin Herbert to bail quickly and ultimately throw incomplete.
Moment(s) No. 2: On the board
The Patriots took advantage of the momentum swing provided by the fourth-down stop, driving down the field to score the game’s first points. Before doing so, however, they made some big plays. The first was a 48-yard connection from Drake Maye to Rhamondre Stevenson.
After the catch-and-run set up the Patriots in Chargers territory, the drive came close to stalling. However, Maye first hit Kyle Williams to move the chains on 4th-and-4 before a big 20-yard pass play to fellow rookie Efton Chism.
Andy Borregales kept the series with a 23-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 3-0 lead.
Moment No. 3: Big Play Maye
With the Patriots passing offense struggling to generate a consistent output in the first half against the Chargers, Drake Maye decided to take matters into his own hands. On the final drive of the second quarter, the second-year QB took off scrambling for a gain of 37 yards.
Maye’ run allowed the Patriots to kick another field goal and take a 6-3 lead into the locker room at the half.
Moment No. 4: Missed opportunity
The Patriots offense started building some momentum in the second half, and on its first possession marched right into the L.A. red zone. However, with Will Campbell struggling to hold off Odafe Oweh, Drake Maye was strip-sacked on a 2nd-and-10.
Luckily for New England, its defense kept the foot on the gas and for the second time in the game prevented their opponent from turning a takeaway into points.
Moment(s) No. 5: Boutte ball
Wide receiver Kayshon Boutte was questionable to play in Sunday’s game because of a hamstring injury, but the third-year receiver was cleared before the contest. The Patriots offense benefitted from his presence, and he made two of the biggest plays of the night.
The first of Boutte’s big catches set the Patriots up for a field goal in the third quarter, allowing them to extend their lead to 9-3. The second had a similar effect.
While not quite as massive from a yardage perspective — it gained only 16 yards compared to the 42-yarder on the previous drive — the play did help set up the game’s first touchdown.
Moment No. 6: End zone appearance
It took the Patriots and Chargers more than 50 minutes of game time before finally reaching the end zone. The TD-less phase of the game ended via a player with connections to both franchises, tight end Hunter Henry.
Henry, the former Chargers second-round draft pick, found himself on the receiving end of a well-placed 28-yard hole shot from Drake Maye. It was the first playoff touchdown in the careers of either player.
Moment No. 7: Strip sack
Defense was the name of the game throughout the day. While the Chargers’ was able to get some turnovers, the Patriots’ got the stops on critical downs. In the fourth quarter, after taking a 16-3 lead, however, the unit also registered its first takeaway.
Edge rushers K’Lavon Chaisson and Elijah Ponder were among the players to get to quarterback Justin Herbert, who lost the football and saw it recovered by linebacker Christian Elliss. The offense failed to capitalize, but the fumble recovery still stole a possession in crunch time.
Moment No. 8: The closer
Milton Williams was paid premium dollar to join the Patriots in free agency, and he kept playing at a high level throughout the season. On Sunday, he played the role of the closer, registering a crucial sack on fourth down to help seal the victory.
With the win, Williams will advance to the divisional round — officially going further this season than his ex-club, the now-eliminated world champion Philadelphia Eagles.
