New England Patriots
All in all, it was probably the Patriots’ most well-rounded performance of the season.
Welcome to the Unconventional Review, an instant reaction to standouts, stats, and story lines from the Patriots’ most recent game …
Many seasons have passed, and the cast has changed, but the script the Patriots authored Sunday night sure feels familiar in all the right ways.
The second-seeded Patriots roughed up Justin Herbert and the Chargers, 16-3, in their wild-card round playoff matchup Sunday night. It was the franchise’s first postseason victory in seven seasons, since a 13-3 win over the Rams in Super Bowl LIII in February 2019.
While there is an obvious gulf between the magnitude of that victory, the sixth and final Super Bowl win of the Tom Brady/Bill Belichick dynasty, and this one, the first postseason victory of the Drake Maye/Mike Vrabel era, it was impossible Sunday night to not appreciate the aesthetic similarities.
This one, like that one, was an old-school, mentally and physically tough Patriots performance, especially by a defense that hit Herbert so viciously and often that David Carr’s brutal rookie season with the Texans came to mind more than once. Just like Super Bowl LIII, the Patriots kept their talented opponent out of the end zone. Herbert was sacked six times, and no Chargers receiver had more than three catches or 32 yards.
Sure, it was far from a perfect Patriots performance — Maye threw an interception and fumbled twice, losing one, in his playoff debut — but the Most Valuable Player candidate maintained his poise, tormented the Chargers on the ground (for a game-high 66 rushing yards), and threw perhaps his best pass for the game’s only touchdown.
Even with the mistakes, Maye looked like he had been here before. And his touchdown pass — a gorgeous 28-yard completion to tight end Hunter Henry over the outstretched hand of Chargers do-it-all safety Derwin James Jr. to make it 16-3 with 9:45 left in the game — was reminiscent of Brady’s 29-yard throw to his trusted tight end, Rob Gronkowski, to set up that game’s lone touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.
The Brady throw is on the short list of the finest and most memorable of his career. Maye’s connection with Henry Sunday night wasn’t quite to that level, though NBC’s Cris Collinsworth may disagree. “Whew, you can’t have a prettier football play than that,’’ he exclaimed on the broadcast.
All in all, it was probably the Patriots’ most well-rounded performance of the season. Maye elevated his team all year. Sunday night, the defense came to the rescue of the offense time and again, until Maye rose up and delivered the knockout blow.
Gotta say, ending a playoff drought by mirroring the way they played the last time they brought home a Lombardi Trophy is a fine way to begin a playoff journey.
Some further thoughts, upon immediate review …
Three Players Who Were Worth Watching
Players suggested in the Unconventional Preview: Milton Williams, Rhamondre Stevenson, Derwin James Jr.
Rhamondre Stevenson: The rejuvenated running back excelled again, contributing the Patriots’ longest play from scrimmage — a 48-yard catch-and-run in the first quarter – as well as one of their best executed plays. Facing third and 6 at midfield with just under 10 minutes left in the third quarter, Stevenson appeared like he was staying in to block as Maye dropped back to pass. But with perfect timing, he slipped out after executing a block, caught a short toss, and took off for 17 yards to the Chargers 33. Stevenson was the Patriots’ leading receiver with 75 yards on three catches, and gained 53 yards on his 10 carries.
Milton Williams: The Patriots’ highest-paid player was arguably their best on Sunday night, engulfing Herbert for a pair of sacks, including essentially a game-clinching takedown on fourth down with 2 minutes left at the Patriots’ 43. His return to health after missing five games with a high ankle sprain allows the Patriots defense to rise to another level.
Odafe Oweh: The Chargers’ edge rusher was out there looking like vintage Mean Fred Dean, with three sacks, including a fumble-forcing blindside hit on Maye midway through the third quarter. Da’Shawn Hand recovered, thwarting a promising Patriots drive. Oweh often overwhelmed Will Campbell and Jared Wilson, the rookies on the left side of the Patriots’ line.
Grievance of the Game
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has been digging around in his bag of tricks in recent weeks, and it seemed pretty close to certain that he’d have a creative surprise or two for the Chargers. He did, and he struck early. On third and 4 from the Chargers’ 30 yard line late in the first quarter, Maye handed off to Stevenson, who handed the ball to Efton Chism III on a reverse that immediately looked disjointed. Chism launched a pass down the right side to Maye, a fast runner for a quarterback but hardly the second coming of Stanley Morgan as a pass catcher. The ball sailed over his head, further confirming what we learned in their Super Bowl LII loss to the Eagles: a play has a better chance of succeeding when Patriots quarterbacks are allowed to throw the ball rather than asked to catch it.
Three Notes Scribbled in the Margins
Predicted final score: Patriots 31, Chargers 27
Final score: Patriots 16, Chargers 3
NBC has the Super Bowl this year, so theoretically Mike Tirico and Collinsworth could call every Patriots game this postseason. That’s highly unlikely, of course, but I’d sign up for that. The production on “Sunday Night Football” is exceptional, Collinsworth does not hedge on what he thinks (he suggested several times Sunday night that Stevenson should be deployed more, which I agreed with), and Tirico rarely misses a detail, especially in his preparation. He had a great line when Maye perfectly executed a third-down option play in the third quarter: “Not a long reel of Patriots option plays in the playoffs,’’ he deadpanned … Linebacker Christian Elliss had an outstanding game. He totaled seven tackles, collected the fumble recovery that essentially clinched the win, and was effective for most of the game as the spy to prevent Herbert from getting loose as a runner … None of Andy Borregales’s three field goals were necessarily bombs — his longest make was from 39 yards — but the rookie from Miami deserves a nod of appreciation for making all of his kicks on a cold night on a weekend when there were a few weird misses around league.
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