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The New England Patriots held their ground in the Wild Card round, dominating the Los Angeles Chargers in a 16-3 victory to advance to the NFL playoffs.
New England, which won its first playoff game since its 2018 Super Bowl-winning campaign, will await the winner of Game 4 Houston Texans and No. 5 Pittsburgh Steelers Wild Card Monday night to see who they face in the divisional round next week.
This game saw its first touchdown in the fourth quarter, but that was due to both defenses being stifled in this contest. But it was clear the Patriots had all the answers to Justin Herbert and the Chargers’ offense.
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Drake Maye of the New England Patriots celebrates after a third quarter touchdown against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium on January 4, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
Mike Vrabel’s team shouldn’t have given up just three points, especially after Drake Maye was picked off on the Patriots’ second drive at their own 10-yard line. However, the Patriots defense was relentless all night and the Chargers were unable to adapt.
They stopped the Chargers on four plays to knock them down on downs, and eventually got on the board first thanks to a 93-yard drive that resulted in a field goal.
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Los Angeles knocked on the door again with a third-and-2 from the New England three-yard line, but Kimani Vidal was stuffed. Cameron Dicker added a field goal to tie the game, and only one more Patriots field goal was added to the score before halftime, a 6-3 lead for New England.
Even though the Chargers couldn’t get anything going on offense, their defense kept them in this game, at least for the first three quarters. Maye was sacked by Odafe Oweh while in Chargers territory to keep the game within three points in the third quarter.
But after another miss, a third Patriots field goal split the uprights to make the score 9-3.
Stefon Diggs of the New England Patriots speaks to his teammates during a huddle before an AFC playoff football game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium on January 11, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
The Patriots’ dagger came after another Chargers punt, when Maye perfectly placed his pass to former Chargers star tight end Hunter Henry for a 28-yard touchdown. Either team’s first six-pointer seemingly ended all of Los Angeles’ hopes.
On the ensuing drive, Herbert was crushed by K’Lavon Chaisson, resulting in a fumble recovery by Christian Elliss, as the Gillette Stadium crowd went ballistic.
The Chargers attempted to pull off some playoff heroics, as they forced their way down the field into Patriots territory. But on fourth-and-9 from the New England 34-yard line, Milton Williams ended any hopes when he delivered the Patriots’ sixth sack on Herbert to turn them on downs again.
In box scoring, Maye was 17 of 29 through the air for 268 yards, with running back Rhamondre Stevenson being his leading receiver with 75 yards on three catches. Kayshon Boutte also added 66 yards on four grabs, while Henry finished with 64 yards.
Drake Maye of the New England Patriots looks to pass before an NFL playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium on January 11, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
And Maye was also the Patriots’ leading rusher with 67 rushing yards on nine carries, as he continually picked his spots to gash the Chargers’ defense.
For Los Angeles, Herbert’s playoff woes continue, as he is now 0-3 after this performance. He totaled just 159 passing yards and 57 rushing yards.
