Pressure Maye, unleash the run game, and clean up special teams. Three keys for the Chargers to conquer the Patriots Sunday night.
Los Angeles Chargers. New England Patriots. Justin Herbert battling the likely NFL MVP Drake Maye. Coach of the Year candidates in Jim Harbaugh and Mike Vrabel. Sunday night under the lights to cap off a full day of Wild Card action. What isn’t there to love about this matchup?
That’s the stage set this weekend as the Chargers and Patriots square off Sunday at 5 PM with a trip to the Divisional Round on the line and one step closer to the Lombardi Trophy. If the Bolts want any chance of leaving Foxborough with a win, here are three things that absolutely have to happen.
Bring pressure to Drake Maye
Drake Maye may look like a superhero given New England’s rapid turnaround and his likely MVP season, but like almost every quarterback in the league, cracks appear when pressure shows up consistently. Justin Herbert might be the exception, but most quarterbacks aren’t built to survive constant heat.
Maye has not faced a Jesse Minter defense. He has not seen Tuli Tuipulotu, Khalil Mack and Odafe Oweh coming at him in waves. He hasn’t had to worry about Daiyan Henley shooting through a gap before he can finish his dropback. If the Chargers make him uncomfortable early and often, they dramatically increase their chances of stealing this game. Give him time and he will absolutely pick the defense apart.
Run Omarion Hampton and Kimani Vidal outside the tackles
New England’s defense deserves credit for being solid all season, but it is not stacked with stars. The Chargers need to lean into what they do best in the run game by getting Hampton and Vidal moving downhill and outside the tackles.
Asking either back to live solely between the guards behind a shaky interior line is a recipe for third and long all night. This offense is at its best when receivers are pulling, Matlock is in motion and the backs can build speed in space. That has been true all season. There is no reason to abandon it now.
Do not let special teams end the season
Special teams mistakes single handedly cost the Chargers an AFC West title and a chance at a top two seed. They cannot go into Foxborough and survive a sloppy night in that phase of the game.
Points cannot be left on the field. New England cannot be gifted short fields because of bad punts or coverage lapses. The Chargers cannot afford slow or indecisive returns that pin the offense deep all night. Every mistake compounds, and in a playoff environment, that’s how seasons quietly end. Keep special teams clean and the Chargers give themselves a real chance.
This game has everything you could want from a playoff matchup. The stage is massive and the stakes are real. Can the Chargers finally flip the script after last year’s embarrassment against Houston? We’ll find out soon enough. Sunday night cannot get here fast enough.