Drake Maye vs. Justin Herbert is a fan’s dream

A lot has occurred throughout this outstanding Patriots season — lots has been repaired, upgraded, and quickly improved by the coach-quarterback partnership of Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye — that issues that occurred comparatively not too long ago all of a sudden really feel just like the distant previous.

Think about: It was lower than 15 months in the past that Maye made his first begin as Patriots quarterback, a 41-21 loss to the Texans in Week 6 of the 2024 season.

A well-known chorus then, one repeated usually within the buildup to his eventual choice by the Patriots with the No. 3 total decide, and intermittently right here early in his profession, was that if all went proper and he developed as hoped, he could possibly be one other Justin Herbert.

It was excessive reward, the type of comparability that led to wishful however irresistible hypotheticals earlier than the draft, corresponding to this one: What would it not price moreover the No. 3 decide for the Patriots to accumulate Herbert from the Chargers?

Do not forget that one? It’s at all times caught with me throughout Maye’s extraordinary ascent, which finds him and his teammates dealing with off towards Herbert and the Chargers Sunday night time in a wild-card playoff matchup, the Patriots’ first postseason recreation since 2021. (Feels longer, although nobody exterior of New England desires to listen to that.)

In his first full season as a starter, Maye — not Herbert, an excellent quarterback who completed the common season with 3,727 passing yards and 26 touchdowns — is a main candidate for the Most Helpful Participant Award.

Maye, who threw for 4,394 yards and 31 scores, with simply 8 interceptions to Herbert’s 13, has been higher than the younger famous person to whom he was in contrast. Extra remarkably, with a win Sunday night time, Maye can have led his staff to a playoff victory earlier than Herbert.

This turnaround has occurred so quick that it’s virtually troublesome to totally course of. Watching Maye and Herbert go pass-for-pass with their playoff lives at stake will probably be worrying, positive. However ought to the Patriots prevail, it is going to be the best affirmation but of how rapidly a soccer daydream has come true.

Kick it off, Borregales, and let’s get this factor began …

Three gamers price watching aside from the quarterbacks

Milton Williams: From a defensive standpoint, the Patriots’ strategy could be as apparent because it has been in any recreation this season. Their cross rush should get after Herbert relentlessly whereas additionally ensuring he doesn’t escape the pocket.

To take action, their protection will probably be required to thrive in an space the place it has been mediocre, however towards what might be the Chargers’ best weak point, their offensive line.

Herbert has taken a pounding this season. He has been sacked 54 instances and hit a staggering 129 instances. The explanations are comprehensible. The Chargers misplaced each beginning tackles, with left sort out Rashawn Slater happening for the season with a patellar tendon in August. Their different sort out, Joe Alt, missed three video games earlier within the season with a excessive ankle sprain, then was misplaced for the season in Week 9 when he reinjured the ankle.

Herbert has suffered the bodily consequence of being continually beneath siege — in Week 13 towards the Raiders, he suffered a fractured left hand when he was hit by security Jeremy Chinn on the Chargers’ first possession. Herbert remained within the recreation, a 31-14 Chargers win, underwent surgical procedure the following day, and didn’t miss a recreation.

Past being more durable than any quarterback sporting a powder blue and sunshine gold jersey would ever appear to be, Herbert is a pressure when he escapes the push. 9 of his 26 landing passes this season got here exterior the pocket, and his 498 dashing yards — 48 greater than Maye — ranked fourth within the league amongst quarterbacks.

So how do the Patriots — who completed tied for twenty first within the NFL with 35 sacks — benefit from the Chargers’ blocking points and put Herbert beneath duress? Among the rush should come from the skin, in fact, with constant stress from Harold Landry (team-high 8½ sacks regardless of lacking the final two video games with a knee damage) and Ok’Lavon Chaisson (7½ sacks) a necessity.

However the actual X-factor is Williams, the stalwart sort out who returned final week after lacking 5 video games with a excessive ankle sprain. Williams performed 28 snaps in a tuneup towards the Dolphins, ending with two tackles, together with one for loss within the first quarter.

When wholesome, Williams — who was arguably the Eagles’ finest participant of their Tremendous Bowl rout of the Chiefs final February — is the Patriots’ most disruptive defensive participant. An early-season instance: His fourth-down sack of Tua Tagovailoa to safe the Week 2 win over the Dolphins was probably the most spectacular defensive performs of the season.

Williams says he isn’t at full well being but, however the Patriots want him to be pretty much as good as he probably can Sunday night time.

Rhamondre Stevenson: Contemplating that Maye and Herbert are two of the most efficient and proficient quarterbacks within the league, it’d come as a gentle shock {that a} key to each the Patriots’ and Chargers’ success is ball management and time of possession.

The Chargers completed second to the Payments in time of possession, at a mean of 32 minutes, 32 seconds per recreation. That’s regardless of not having a operating again attain 700 yards (Kimani Vidal completed with 643) or a single offensive participant surpass 800 complete yards from scrimmage (Ladd McConkey had 789, all as a receiver).

The Patriots weren’t far behind, ending fifth in time of possession (31:20 on common). That is sensible in case you’ve adopted how their operating recreation has advanced and improved over the second half of the season.

TreVeyon Henderson — the Patriots’ chief in yards from scrimmage (1,132, with 10 complete touchdowns) — turned a game-breaker simply earlier than the approximate midpoint of his rookie season.

Starting with the Week 8 rout of the Browns and excluding the Week 17 thumping of the Jets, which he missed whereas in concussion protocol, Henderson has run 137 instances for 758 yards — a 5.5-yard common — and eight touchdowns.

But he hasn’t even been the Patriots’ most explosive again in latest weeks. That designation goes to the veteran Stevenson, who upon shaking off some rust after lacking three video games with a toe damage, has run with an explosiveness and elusiveness that has been principally absent since his breakthrough 2022 season.

Up to now 4 video games, Stevenson has carried the ball 29 instances for 279 yards and three touchdowns, whereas including 12 catches for 121 yards and two scores.

The Patriots’ “jumbo bundle” — which normally contains Thayer Munford as the additional lineman — has been extremely efficient in latest weeks. It’s going to should be once more to win that point of possession battle vs. the Chargers’ eighth-ranked run protection (105.4 yards per recreation).

Derwin James: Maye already is aware of the Chargers’ five-time Professional Bowl security. He famous throughout media availability this previous week that he liked to use James when playing “Madden,” a wise transfer provided that the eight-year veteran can do absolutely anything a protection requires.

In 98 profession video games, James has 36 quarterback hits, 19 sacks, 12 interceptions, and 6 pressured fumbles. That’s Rodney Harrison-level versatility.

Maye’s harsher familiarity with James got here within the Chargers’ 40-7 throttling of the Patriots in Week 17 final season. James sacked Maye twice in that recreation, each within the second half and each instances on fourth down, and he additionally had a fumble restoration within the first half on a botched pitch to DeMario Douglas.

Maye should be extremely conscious of James’s whereabouts Sunday, and he is aware of it. The Chargers, who play a zone-heavy scheme, completed with 19 interceptions, the second-most within the NFL (and 19 greater than the Jets). James had three of these for a Chargers cross protection that ranked fifth (180.9 yards per recreation).

The flashback

The Patriots are 3-0 against the Chargers in the postseason this century and 3-1 total, the loss being a 51-10 thumping within the 1963 AFL Championship recreation.

Essentially the most well-known of the Patriots’ three latest postseason wins over the Chargers occurred within the 2006 divisional spherical, when Troy Brown punched what might have been a game-clinching interception away from Chargers security Marlon McCree with the Patriots down, 21-13, with roughly six minutes left. Reche Caldwell recovered the fumble, and the Patriots rallied for a 24-21 win.

McCree’s blunder is essentially the most memorable play from that recreation. Essentially the most amusing, at the very least on reflection? That could be Mike Vrabel’s sack of Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers. Rivers, in fact, made a quick return to the NFL this season to sling some changeups round to Colts receivers, 15 years after Vrabel retired as a participant.

Grievance of the week

Maye led the Patriots to 10 extra wins than they’d final season. He led the NFL in completion share (72) and passer ranking on throws of 20 yards or extra (129.2), an virtually unheard-of mixture. He did it whereas elevating the expertise round him (he was the Patriots’ lone Professional Bowl choice on offense). And towards widespread opponents towards the different quarterback in consideration, he threw 14 touchdowns to three interceptions and his staff was 6-0. That different quarterback — the Rams’ Matthew Stafford, clearly — went 4-2, with the identical variety of touchdowns and three extra picks. Anybody who doesn’t acknowledge that Maye is the MVP merely has not paid sufficient consideration to what he has carried out.

Prediction, or it’s not proper that Stan Humphries led the Chargers to a Tremendous Bowl and Dan Fouts didn’t …

It’s going to be a shootout, even perhaps an on the spot basic, between groups which have particular quarterbacks, savvy coaches (Jim Harbaugh acquired the Chargers job over Vrabel), and fairly a bit extra in widespread. The house crowd, the chilly New England air, and Maye’s preternatural poise tilt it within the Patriots’ favor. Patriots 31, Chargers 27.