The New England Patriots defense was all over the Los Angeles Chargers offense in the teams 16-3 win. The Patriots recovered a fumble and had five sacks. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is now 0-3 in the playoffs.
DRAKE MAYE AND THE PATRIOTS ADVANCE‼️
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New England takes down the Chargers to get their first playoff win since the 2018 season 💪 pic.twitter.com/xSnvjztv3D
— ESPN (@espn) January 12, 2026
It’s been a struggle for Justin Herbert all season. Herbert finished the regular season as the most sacked quarterback in the league and it proved in today’s game. The Chargers were also 1/10 on third downs and 0/2 in the redzone.
It has been quite the turnaround for the Patriots in Drake Maye’s second season. The team transformed from 4-13 to 13-4 and is now in the Divisional round of the playoffs with Maye in the MVP race.
The Patriots will now face off against the winner in the Monday night game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans.
