Bullying the Chargers, Patriots find new, vital way to win in the playoffs

FOXBORO — Christian Elliss walked out of the Patriots‘ locker room in a light-colored sweatsuit with a worn soccer tucked beneath his proper arm.

The ball was certain for a wall inside his home, the place Elliss retains others on show as mementos from video games passed by. This one he recovered with 8:08 left Sunday night time, a moment that epitomized how the Pats had brutalized the Chargers to the purpose they could quickly show a white helmet with an arcing lightning bolt on a wall inside their facility.

Not as a memento, however a pelt.

Trailing by 13 at midfield, Justin Herbert took a second-down snap and confronted knifing strain up the center. He escaped first by lurching left. Then, hunched over on the waist, Herbert regained his steadiness and commenced to face up with the ball in his proper hand. However in that point, Patriots move rusher Okay’Lavon Chaisson closed on Herbert from behind, and knocked the ball out upon arrival, inflicting the fumble.

Earlier than Herbert may attain to get well it, Pats rookie Elijah Ponder launched his helmet into the quarterback’s chest, knocking him backward. Then Elliss sprinted to fall on the ball, obtained up and ran towards the closest finish zone in celebration, all whereas Herbert laid flat on his again and clutched his chest plate with each palms.

Gillette Stadium shook.

Chaisson had sacked Herbert. Ponder had blasted him. Ellis had stolen the ball and ripped all hope from him and his offense on that play. But it surely was the Patriots’ protection, their total protection, that had put the Chargers in a headlock for three-plus quarters and finally choked them out.

“I’m simply so happy with this protection,” mentioned captain Robert Spillane. “We now have actually come collectively, and to carry an offense like that to a few factors in a playoff recreation is large for us.”

Big, and new.

Sunday was the primary time all season the Patriots held an opponent beneath 10 factors; a 12 months by which they ranked among the many NFL’s worst defenses in opposition to the run and move throughout separate stretches. This efficiency, very like the crew’s season, was unimaginable to foresee.

That’s except you ask Elliss, who advised his household all week how a lot he appreciated this matchup with the Chargers whereas finding out their tape.

“Simply watching the movie, I feel we had them,” Ellis mentioned. “We had them.”

Elliss appreciated his entrance seven versus their offensive line. His cornerbacks in opposition to their receivers. And the sport plan that Zak Kuhr, nonetheless the Patriots’ interim defensive coordinator, had laid out versus Jim Harbaugh, indisputably among the best coaches within the league.

However even to the cockeyed optimist, did six sacks really feel believable Sunday night time? Or the Patriots posting one thing near a shutout on third down? Or an precise shutout contained in the purple zone, which has been extra like a purple carpet for opponents dealing with the league’s worst protection inside its personal 20-yard line?

Not an opportunity.

“I’m glad we had been in a position to go on the market and have our offense’s again,” Pats captain Harold Landry mentioned of forcing a turnover and subject aim contained in the purple zone. “Once we’re in a position to present up the best way we did as a protection, and after we play nice crew protection, stuff like that may occur.”

And but, for all that was unexpected, there have been shades of franchise historical past should you knew the place to look.