Chargers Vs New England Patriots Match Player Stats

Drake Maye put the Patriots off to an excellent start during their opening drive of the second half, connecting with Rhamondre Stevenson for an early dumpoff pass that allowed Stevenson to gain 66 yards on one play en route to setting up Andy Borregales for a 23-yard field goal and New England was off and running in the Chargers Vs New England Patriots Match Player Stats showdown.

Chargers vs. Patriots

FOXBOROUGH, MA — Drake Maye and the Patriots offense got off to an impressive start in their AFC Wild Card playoff game against Los Angeles Chargers, but their defensive unit struggled to prevent any drives in red zone into touchdowns.

Once the Chargers punted on their first possession, New England’s rushing attack got rolling on their second.

Hunter Henry and Rhamondre Stevenson each gained first downs on the ground while Maye found Ladd McConkey for a short touchdown pass despite his subsequent fumbled kickoff kickback; ultimately New England managed to recover possession from Maye and keep progressing forward with their gameplan.

On their third drive, however, the Patriots’ offensive struggles continued as they were unable to gain any running room against a tough Chargers defense that surrounded Maye.

Although their opponent eventually forced a three-and-out, their offense couldn’t capitalize on any turnovers they might force; Maye attempted a double pass to Efton Chism but failed, prompting Jared Wilson to grab hold of it and secure their first takeaway of the game.

On their next drive, New England’s stout defense continued to neutralize Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive output with another three-and-out and forcing punting. Mike Onwenu made another key play on their next drive; picking off Justin Herbert pass and returning it for 40 yards for a first down.

Borregales’ third field goal secured two additional first downs for New England during this drive, as Maye found Kayshon Boutte for a long touchdown pass to put them ahead 9-3 going into the fourth quarter.

Although Maye would fumble again later on this drive, New England recovered quickly enough and completed their win to tie with 1999 Indianapolis Colts and 2008 Miami Dolphins as the most winning regular seasons teams in NFL history.

Defense

At Sunday’s Wild Card matchup between two of the league’s acclaimed young quarterbacks, it was often their respective defenses who stole the show. New England’s defense clamped down hard on Chargers QB Justin Herbert both on the ground and in the air, forcing him into errors throughout much of the first half.

The Patriots began the second quarter with a long drive that looked as though it might result in a field goal when K’Lavon Chaisson got through and sacked Herbert just shy of the goalline.

Nonetheless, they held firm and on fourth down Robert Spillane applied unblocked pressure through the line that forced a fumble that Christian Elliss recovered.

Maye led his offense across midfield on their next possession, and after an off-the-field pass interference penalty against Carlton Davis on third down, they gained first down at Los Angeles 23-yard line. Hunter Henry made a big catch before Kayshon Boutte made an effective run play to send them back into red zone territory.

Andy Borregales kicked a 35-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 6-3 advantage at the beginning of the second half.

On the Chargers’ following drive, Efton Chism III managed a strong third down conversion that took them near midfield before eventually ending when an incomplete third down pass to Kyle Williams stalled out their attempt.

Offense

After an uneventful first quarter, New England’s offense burst forth in the second. Bryce Baringer punted deep into Charger territory for New England to gain possession inside their 10-yard line, where Drake Maye immediately made an impression with an efficient 13-play, 69-yard drive with Hunter Henry scoring 28 yards later on a pass play from Maye.

The next drive for New England started out quickly with three-and-outs, but their offensive firepower didn’t pause there.

On play two, Maye threw a short dumpoff pass to Rhamondre Stevenson who took it and ran 48 yards for a first down. On third down Maye found Kayshon Boutte again for another huge catch along the sideline – giving New England another shot at scoring.

But this drive eventually faltered when Maye’s pass to Austin Hooper was tipped by Teair Tart and intercepted by Daiyan Henley of the Patriots secondary, led by Pro Bowl cornerback Carlton Davis and Christian Gonzalez who made themselves difficult targets throughout the game – eliminating opportunities for Herbert’s pass game.

With nine minutes remaining in the half, the Patriots got back on offense at their two-yard line with just under nine minutes remaining in quarter two.

Leveraging their favorable field position, they quickly drove into red zone territory during their third possession before their drive was cut short when Maye’s pass to Keenan Allen was deflected off defensive tackle Daiyan Henley and picked off by safety Eric Weddle.

As the Patriots held onto a 9-3 lead at halftime, Brian Borregales kicked another field goal from 37 yards to end the first half and finish off their scoring performance with ease due to an outstanding job from their offensive line in blocking in passing game situations.

Herbert was also remarkable because despite not being at his full strength, he still managed to find open receivers when necessary. Going into the 2025 playoffs, it had been assumed he didn’t flourish during postseason play; that changed Sunday evening.

Special Teams

FOXBOROUGH — Special teams add an extra burst of energy and excitement to every game, particularly kickoff teams assembling on the field for kickoff. You can feel electricity fill the air as spectators chant, “ohhhwow!”

Special teams players often go unnoticed because their actions on special teams do not garner as much attention as offensive or defensive players do – yet their work on special teams could make or break a match-up.

Early in Sunday’s Wild Card game, both special teams units played vital roles. A punt by the Chargers pinched New England inside its 10-yard line; New England drove downfield but had to settle for a 21-yard field goal from Andy Borregales. Next came K’Lavon Chaisson sacking Justin Herbert on third down and forcing him into throwing a deflected interception that safety Byron Jones picked off.

On their next drive, Maye connected with Hunter Henry on a 20-yard catch before being forced to fumble while being sacked by Jabaal Sheard and recovered by New England’s Jared Wilson – giving the Patriots time for another field goal attempt.

Both teams struggled in the first half to convert trips to the red zone, but New England’s defense made sure this didn’t happen again.

Once Los Angeles managed a stop on their opening possession of the second half, however, New England was able to drive downfield but once more came up short before reaching red zone territory.

Maye connected with Rhamondre Stevenson with a 48-yard dumpoff pass all the way to midfield on their final drive.

Unfortunately, however, they were unable to convert a fourth down, with Maye missing Austin Hooper on one third-down pass before dropping one from Pop Douglas on another third down attempt.

Although much has been made about Tom Brady, this game was ultimately won by the Patriots special teams unit. Though not always flashy or noticeable in game situations, their efforts each week to analyze what their opponents bring and then execute against those players is unrivaled in the NFL.