FOXBORO — From the first-quarter red-zone stand to the fourth-quarter strip sack that left Justin Herbert twisted, bloodied and dazed, the Patriots protection manhandled the Los Angeles Chargers within the groups’ wild-card playoff matchup.
The Chargers managed only a single discipline objective Sunday night time in the 16-3 victory that despatched New England by means of to the divisional spherical. They went 1-for-10 on third down and 1-for-3 on fourth down, and the Patriots’ go rush, after a sluggish begin, overwhelmed Herbert within the second half, totaling six sacks and 11 quarterback hits.
“Simply violence and aggression, man,” edge rusher Ok’Lavon Chaisson stated. “Simply who needed it extra. That’s what this recreation was all about.”
Realizing the Chargers have been weak alongside the offensive line after dropping each of their beginning tackles, and that Herbert was taking part in with a damaged bone in his non-throwing hand, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel made stopping the run a precedence, hoping to drive LA into passing conditions. His staff succeeded there: Although Herbert discovered success as a scrambler (10 carries, 57 yards), the Chargers’ 10 handoffs gained simply 30 whole yards.
The protection “set the tone,” Vrabel stated, by stopping the Chargers on 4 consecutive performs from contained in the 10-yard line after Drake Maye threw an early interception deep in Patriots territory. Slot cornerback Marcus Jones tackled Herbert on the 2-yard line on a third-down scramble — regardless of giving up 10 inches and practically 50 factors to the athletic Chargers QB — and a fourth-down go fell incomplete.
“Such an enormous play that finally modifications the sport for us,” linebacker Robert Spillane stated of Jones’ cease.
The Patriots stopped the Chargers once more contained in the 5-yard line on their subsequent possession — head coach Jim Harbaugh settled for a 21-yard Cameron Dicker discipline objective — then stonewalled their remaining drive of the primary half with back-to-back sacks by defensive deal with Milton Williams and Chaisson.
Williams and Chaisson each have been a part of New England’s Vrabel-driven crop of offseason free agent signings, as have been Spillane and edge rusher Harold Landry II. Sunday was the primary time the Patriots had all 4 of these gamers lively in the identical recreation since mid-November.
“I’m simply so pleased with this protection,” Spillane stated. “We’ve actually come collectively, and to carry an offense like that to a few factors in a playoff recreation is large for it. It simply is one other enhance of confidence for what we’ve already been doing all yr.”
The Patriots pressured three consecutive punts to open the second half, then created a turnover that every one however iced the sport with 8:08 remaining.
Christian Barmore greatly surprised middle Bradley Bozeman to field in Herbert. Apply squad call-up Leonard Taylor III practically wrestled the QB to the turf however couldn’t maintain on. As Herbert escaped Taylor’s grasp, he was sandwiched by Chaisson from the again facet and Elijah Ponder from the entrance. As he fell awkwardly, the ball bounced towards the Patriots’ sideline, the place linebacker Christian Elliss pounced on it.
Even with greater than half 1 / 4 left to play, the Herbert and Co. regarded — and have been — defeated.
“We knew going into the week clearly the quarterback had been having some points along with his hand,” Chaisson stated. “So ball safety was going to be a factor. Each probability that we get, man, assault the ball and get the ball out. We knew we’d have alternatives. We speak about that on a regular basis with Vrabes — each probability that we get, simply assault the ball with violence and energy. … We knew he had a hand downside, so punch the ball out, for positive.”
Behind that extremely lively go rush, the Patriots secondary largely neutralized LA’s air assault regardless of taking part in components of the sport with out beginning cornerbacks Carlton Davis III (second-quarter toe damage) and Christian Gonzalez (fourth-quarter head damage). Herbert went 19-for-31 for 159 yards, and no Chargers participant topped 32 receiving yards.
Los Angeles’ second-longest acquire of the night time got here when working again Kimani Vidal — who noticed a lot of the backfield reps with starter Omarion Hampton lively however closely restricted — recovered a fumble after a Jones strip-sack and ran for 17 yards.
“They have been an enormous issue,” Harbaugh stated of the Patriots protection. “That was a heck of a efficiency by them. They have been capable of get the stops, third down, crimson zone, performed actually good situational. Performed actually good protection. There was some that might have gone both method there, and so they have been capable of make the play. However, yeah, congratulate them. It was a heck of a recreation.”
A heck of a plan by interim defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr, too, primarily based on postgame debriefs Spillane heard from Chargers gamers.
“After the sport, speaking to some of the fellows on their staff, that they had no clue what we have been doing,” the Patriots linebacker and co-captain stated. “They got here up and stated that: ‘We had no clue what you guys have been in all recreation.’”
Vrabel stated his protection “performed extraordinarily effectively.”
“I assumed they have been dedicated to stopping the run,” he stated. “The sudden change was crucial. … Secondary did a implausible job with the play extensions, ensuring that these performs didn’t get free. Simply actually pleased with all people.”
