The atmosphere couldn't have been better for hosting the first playoff game at Gillette Stadium in five years, and the Patriots inevitably fed off the fans' energy all night. It was even more important in the second half, as the score was still close, and costly mistakes kept it that way for too long.
But the defense understood what they had to do late in the game, as the Chargers' defense, one of the best in the league, took advantage of New England's young offense to the point of forcing turnovers and ensuring Drake Maye had a forgettable game.
Although it was far from the 23-year-old's finest work, he did enough to get the win and move his team onto the divisional round to face the Texans, but it wasn't without acknowledging that it was a win that fell more so on the shoulders of the defense than his.
Drake Maye knows he needs to be better after a forgettable playoff debut
In the immediate aftermath of accomplishing the biggest win of his young career, it didn't take long for Maye to give credit to the Patriots' defense for stepping up to the plate and making sure they got the win.
He told reporters that and flat-out admitted they're the reason for the win, showing even more humility by acknowledging his less-than-stellar performance, too.
“This defense was so fun to watch. Congrats to them … They won the game for us. I didn't throw very well tonight. Need to be better. We did what we had to do.”
With an even bigger challenge ahead of them with the Texans coming to town, we'll need to see the defense replicate this performance to give the Patriots a real chance to get to the AFC Championship game.
Maye will need to improve on what we saw from him against the Chargers, especially in ball security. We saw how Houston thrived on the opportunities the Steelers gave them on Monday night, so the Patriots can't give them a reason to run up the score with costly mistakes.
It will be a true test of how they can overcome the obstacles they set for themselves last week in their effort to prove to the naysayers that they are a legitimate team and a competitor for the Super Bowl this year.
We'll need to see that from the entire team, especially the quarterback, and hopefully, they can get it done.