The New England Patriots have arrived on the playoff stage, as they knocked off the Chargers 16-3 in their wildcard round matchup. Justin Herbert was held to 159 passing yards, while Kimani Vidal's 11 carries garnered just 31 yards.
Take away a fumble recovery, which he ran for a first down, and his ten carries resulted in just 21 yards.
New England held the AFC West team to just 3 points. They sacked Herbert six times for a total of 39 yards, and pressured him 39 times, the most they've had in a game all year. Their previous high, 33, came against the Browns, and it was the only other time they eclipsed 30 this season.
No Chargers pass catcher had more than 32 yards, and Carlton Davis's pass interference on Quentin Johnston was the only notable penalty on the night. Marcus Jones and K'Lavon Chaisson each forced fumbles, and Milton Williams ended the game with an excellent rep on Bradley Bozeman that resulted in his second sack of the game on Herbert.
The defense, in short, was elite.
The Patriots have a Super Bowl-level defense this season
Patriots fans have been singing the praises of their defense when they are at full health, but we didn't see that unit in the second half of the season. A high ankle sprain kept Milton Williams out for several weeks after he was placed on IR following their game on Thursday Night Football against the Jets, while Robert Spillane and Harold Landry each missed significant time towards the end of the year.
This was the first week we saw all three players in action since November 13, and the defense didn't disappoint. After Sunday night, the Patriots have allowed just 17.4 PPG when the aforementioned three players are on the field together.
The Chargers ranked 20th in PPG on the season, but had caught fire towards the end of the year with Herbert at the helm, averaging 27 PPG in their last five with the former Oregon Duck at QB. After the Bills eliminated the Jaguars, New England and Buffalo became the only two teams left in the AFC with top-five offenses.
The next best, Houston, ranks 12th. The Patriots won't have to play Buffalo until the AFC Championship, should both teams make it, meaning that the Patriots' defense should feel very good about their chances to hold opposing offenses down.
Ben Arthur of Fox Sports agrees that New England's defense has proven they're the cream of the crop, specifically citing the Chargers going just 1/10 on third down. If New England wants to make a Super Bowl run, they'll need their offense to step up without a doubt: 16 points won't be enough to knock off most teams.
Nonetheless, with a defense like this, their offense may not need to be elite to make a push. The regular season's 4th-best defense was the catalyst for New England's first playoff win since Super Bowl LIII, and the team will need to keep playing as they did against L.A. if they want a chance at the Lombardi.