"Many seasons have passed, and the cast has changed, but the script the Patriots authored Sunday night sure feels familiar in all the right ways. The second-seeded Patriots roughed up Justin Herbert and the Chargers, 16-3, in their wild-card round playoff matchup Sunday night. It was the franchise's first postseason victory in seven seasons, since a 13-3 win over the Rams in Super Bowl LIII in February 2019."
"This one, like that one, was an old-school, mentally and physically tough Patriots performance, especially by a defense that hit Herbert so viciously and often that David Carr's brutal rookie season with the Texans came to mind more than once. Just like Super Bowl LIII, the Patriots kept their talented opponent out of the end zone. Herbert was sacked six times, and no Chargers receiver had more than three catches or 32 yards."
"Sure, it was far from a perfect Patriots performance - Maye threw an interception and fumbled twice, losing one, in his playoff debut - but the Most Valuable Player candidate maintained his poise, tormented the Chargers on the ground (for a game-high 66 rushing yards), and threw perhaps his best pass for the game's only touchdown. Even with the mistakes, Maye looked like he had been here before."
The Patriots dominated the Chargers 16-3 in a wild-card playoff, delivering the franchise's first postseason victory since the 13-3 Super Bowl LIII win over the Rams in February 2019. The defense sacked Justin Herbert six times, kept Los Angeles out of the end zone, and limited any receiver to no more than three catches or 32 yards. Drake Maye committed an interception and two fumbles, losing one, but rushed for a game-high 66 yards, maintained composure, and threw a 28-yard touchdown to Hunter Henry over Derwin James Jr. The performance echoed the old-school, physically tough Patriots identity and marked a strong start for the Maye/Vrabel era.
Read at Boston.com
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