Head coach Mike Vrabel was on the visitors’ sideline the last time the New England Patriots hosted a playoff game.
He wasn’t on Sunday night as the AFC East champions outlasted the Los Angeles Chargers for a 16-3 win.
Here’s a glance back on the wild card at Gillette Stadium, six years removed from the previous, before sights set on the divisional round.
Maye rides the waves for first playoff win
A long line of Patriots awaited their NFL playoff debuts. Drake Maye stood at the front of it.
The 23-year-old quarterback completed 17-of-29 passes
for 268 yards on Sunday night. He did so while totaling one touchdown and two turnovers.
Taking the field in “22” personnel, the opening drive brought one first down on a curl route to wide receiver Stefon Diggs before concluding in a coverage sack and a punt. In the shadow of the uprights, the AFC’s No. 2 seed would be intercepted next time out by linebacker Daiyan Henley off a tipped ball. And while a 14-play, 93-yard journey ensued for a 3-0 New England lead, a pinning punt by Bryce Baringer followed.
Then the legs did. No. 10 scrambled for 37 of his team-high 66 rushing yards in the closing seconds before halftime to get New England to the doorstep. At the break, the score read 6-3 while offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ attack had gone 1-5 on third down and 0-2 in the red zone. Tough sledding.
Maye was strip-sacked 18 yards from the destination coming out the break. Yet it soon became a 9-3 advantage and then a 16-3 advantage. A 28-yard touchdown strike to former Chargers tight end and captain Hunter Henry made it so.
Against a defense that finished the regular season with 19 picks while allowing 179.9 passing yards per game, the second-team All-Pro under center rode the waves.
In rock fight, Stevenson accounts for 128 scrimmage yards
Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter’s group ranked fourth in the NFL in EPA per run dating back to the start of December. But in that same timeframe, in terms of expected points per run play, no ground game around the league proved to be more productive than the one in Foxborough.
Those tractor trailers needed all 18 wheels in the wild card.
Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson turned 13 touches into 128 yards from scrimmage on Sunday night. The reigning AFC Offensive Player of the Week broke off a catch-and-run of 48 yards to get his side from danger to midfield arrived along the way. He finished with 75 receiving yards to lead the offense.
As a change of pace, rookie TreVeyon Henderson managed 36 yards from scrimmage through 10 opportunities.
Boutte goes from questionable to atop the wideouts
In the weeks after losing versatile veteran Mack Hollins to injured reserve with an abdomen injury, Kayshon Boutte entered Sunday as questionable due to a hamstring injury. But all five wide receivers on the active roster would be in uniform against the Chargers.
And the LSU product would integral, catching four passes for 66 yards to lead the position. A 42-yarder checked in among them.
Behind him, Kyle Williams delivered a critical block for an explosive gain and tapped his toes on the sideline for a fourth-and-4 conversion. Fellow rookie Efton Chism III, whose evening featured a pass attempt to an MVP candidate, caught the lone throw sent his direction for 20 yards.
The Patriots elevated Jeremiah Webb from the practice squad on the eve of the wild card, yet the undrafted product of South Dakota and South Alabama was scratched 90 minutes prior to kickoff.
At full strength, starting five endures five sacks
The No. 4 overall pick out of LSU and the No. 95 overall pick out of Georgia were back on the blindside, as Will Campbell’s return from an MCL sprain was followed by Jared Wilson’s return from concussion protocol.
The rookies were joined by center Garrett Bradbury, right guard Mike Onwenu and right tackle Morgan Moses on Sunday. Yet while at full strength, New England’s starting offensive line faced full speed.
Five sacks were in the cards for Los Angeles. Up front, Odafe Oweh collected a hat-trick while Tuli Tuipulotu and Teair Tart also hit home for the AFC’s No. 7 seed. Da’Shawn Hand recovered a fumble along the way, yet another ball that bounced off the turf fell right back into the hands of the Patriots’ returning left guard.
Patriots close in on Herbert’s escapability
No quarterback around the NFL amassed more scramble yards in the regular season than Justin Herbert, per Next Gen Stats. Add in the off-platform, out-of-structure throws to all levels of the field and there loomed a potential postseason problem.
It was avoided by and large. While the Chargers starter found 57 rushing yards, he completed 19-of-31 passes for 159 yards with no touchdowns on Sunday.
Quiet in pass rush early on, New England erupted for six sacks on the 6-foot-6, 236-pound dual threat. On the interior defensive line, Super Bowl LIX champion Milton Williams broke the seal with the game’s first and final sacks. Outside linebackers K’Lavon Chaisson and Anfernee Jennings combined for three and forced a fumble in between. And a captain from the secondary also got in the takedown column.
The wild card got underway with a pair of first downs before the punt unit stepped on. Subsequent chances brought a blitzing stand at the goal line and another stop in the red zone for a field goal. But the last meaningful possession of the first half for head coach Jim Harbaugh’s side resulted in a punt. Coming out of it, there would be three punts in a row and back-to-back drives ending in turnovers of different varieties.
That was the outcome against a Patriots defensive backfield that saw outside cornerbacks Carlton Davis III and Christian Gonzalez be evaluated for respective toe and head injuries. But all-purpose nickelback Marcus Jones notched six tackles, a third-and-7 pass breakup and a forced fumble on a sack that the visitors recovered.
Chargers running backs manage 2.5 yards per carry
Omarion Hampton practiced once in a limited capacity during preparations for the Patriots. Battling an ankle injury, the No. 22 overall pick out of the University of North Carolina handled two offensive snaps on Sunday and was halted behind the line of scrimmage on one of them.
That put the running back depth chart fully in the hands of Kimani Vidal, who rushed for 31 yards across 10 handoffs and drew a facemask penalty. A 2.5-yard average for the backfield depth chart.
Linebacker Robert Spillane was back in the starting lineup after missing five games with an ankle injury. The captain and tackle leader was joined off the ball by Christian Elliss, who broke up a pass and recovered a fumble.
Borregales takes the points
A Pro Bowl kicker from the AFC West was in town. But Andy Borregales was there, too.
The Patriots rookie went 3-of-3 on field goals and 1-of-1 on extra points versus the Chargers. He converted from 23 and 35 yards away in the second quarter and 39 yards away in the third quarter during his initial postseason appearance.
On an evening where the Chargers’ offense went 1-10 on third down, 1-3 on fourth down and 0-2 in the red zone, those points added up to the difference.
