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FOXBOROUGH – Football is the ultimate team sport and the Patriots win over the Chargers is proof of that. Most of the onus this season has been on Drake Maye and the offense, but on Sunday night, the defense took center stage in a dominant performance against the Chargers.
The Patriots defense sacked Justin Herbert 6 times, forced three fumbles and recovered one and held the Chargers to just 207 yards of total offense and 3 points.
The performance had everyone talking, specifically the offensive players. Maye commended the defense on their performance last night.
“The defense was so fun to watch. Congrats to them. It was so fun to watch. They won the game for us. I didn’t throw very well tonight. Need to be better. We did what we had to do. That’s what it takes in the Playoffs. Proud of this team. That was fun to get one at home. Look forward to being back here next week.”
Maye and the offense struggled to finish drives in the first half but despite their early struggles, you never got the sense the game was going to get away from them. Why? The defense. The defense made key fourth down stops in the red zone and held the Chargers to a field goal in another one of their red zone possessions. When your defense does that, it gives the entire team confidence that they can win the game.
Stefon Diggs praised the defense for the job they did against Harbaugh and Herbert, an elite coach, quarterback combination in the league in his eyes.
“I’m putting all my chips on the defense. They scored three points. That says a lot about our defense. That’s a well-coached team. They had a good offense. They’ve got a great quarterback over there, they’ve got a good run game, and they’ve got some huge O-linemen. So, they play that tough nose, that Harbaugh defense, and coming out with a stand and having them get three points, I don’t know how many yards they had, but our defense looks like they’re back in rare form.”
As the old adage goes, defense wins championship. It is true but you still the offense to do their part and score points. Very rarely (1985 Chicago Bears, 2000 Baltimore Ravens) have you seen a defense do good that it didn’t matter what the offense did, the defense would win you the game. Maye and company are going to have to play much better this week if the Patriots are going to beat the Texans and advance.
All of that being said, if the Patriots play this type of defense the rest of the way, they could find themselves in the Super Bowl. The effort was a source of pride for the defensive players after the game.
“First and foremost, I am just so proud of this defense. We have really come together, and to hold an offense like that to three points in a playoff game is huge for us” said linebacker Robert Spillane. “It is just another boost of confidence for what we have already been doing all year, so we are just going to continue sticking to the game plan that we have been on and take it from here.”
A lot of the credit for the performance of the defense has to be given to interim defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr who devised a hell of a game plan for the Chargers game. Patriots Coach Mike Vrabel praised Kuhr for the job he has done after the game.
“I would tell you this means a lot to him. These players mean a lot to him. I think that they want to do well for Zak and for the entire staff that put a lot into it. I’m proud of Zak for not only the performance calling the game, but the preparation and what goes into it. He’s earned every bit of recognition that he’s getting and should get. Again, it takes everybody. There’s great communication from upstairs, getting it to the players. They certainly respond. All the credit has to go to them. But Zak was able to change up some calls there at the end. I felt like that mixed the pressure in because that’s what we felt like we needed.”
The Patriots defense is playing like a cohesive unit right now and if that keeps up, this already dangerous team just find themselves playing in the Super Bowl.