The New England Patriots snapped a seven-year drought when earning a 16-3 postseason win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Sunday’s victory put them closer to reclaiming an NFL record.

New England’s official communications account noted that the Patriots notched their 38th all-time playoff win. That moves them past the Green Bay Packers, who were eliminated Saturday, for sole possession of second place.

The Patriots trail the San Francisco 49ers by one win for first place. San Francisco added to its milestone with a Wild Card Round victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

The Pittsburgh Steelers also have a chance...

Mike Vrabel didn’t have any facial protection when Milton Williams headbutted him in the waning moments of Sunday’s win, but that was nary a concern for the Patriots’ defensive tackle. Or head coach, for that matter.

Williams, New England’s prized defensive addition over the offseason, was everything the Patriots needed him to be in the 16-3 Wild Card Round win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Most importantly, he had the game-sealing sack on Justin Herbert late in the fourth quarter.

After putting Herbert to the turf, Williams eventually was greeted on the sideline by Vrabel. Williams responded by butting his...

Former New England Patriots star Kyle Van Noy was thoroughly impressed with Milton Williams’ play on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers.

New England signed Williams this offseason to a four-year, $104 million contract after helping the Philadelphia Eagles win a Super Bowl. Williams was expected to anchor the defensive line, and he’s done just that.

In the Patriots’ wild-card game against the Chargers on Sunday, Williams finished with two sacks. Following the game, Van Noy took to X to praise the star defensive tackle.

“That’s too emotional from the feti man himself!,” Van Noy wrote on X. “Chargers exceeded...

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert wasn’t happy with his play on Sunday against the New England Patriots.

The Chargers struggled offensively as Los Angeles suffered a 16-3 loss in the wild-card round. It was a disappointing loss for the Chargers, and Herbert admitted he wasn’t good enough.

“Yeah, not good enough,” Herbert said postgame on Sunday after the Chargers offense. “We got to score points, and defense gave us every shot we needed to and wasn’t enough.”

Herbert finished the game going 19-of-31 for 159 yards, as Los Angeles failed to get into the endzone. The quarterback also praised...

Ahead of the Patriots’ wild-card matchup, head coach Mike Vrabel had a simple message to his team.

“We talked to them about being willing to spill some blood out there, that the big dogs come out in January,” he said.

Nobody embodied that message more than defensive tackle Milton Williams.

In an advantageous matchup against a Chargers offensive line that ranked near the bottom of the league in pass block win rate, Williams anchored a dominant performance by New England’s front seven in a 16-3 win Sunday night.

The star pass rusher — who was the team’s marquee free-agent addition...

The New England Patriots won a defensive battle on Sunday night against the visiting Los Angeles Chargers. Fans may not have been treated to offensive fireworks, but the game still ended up being the largest margin of victory of the NFL’s wild card weekend so far.

Let’s get into our lessons learned from the Patriots’ first postseason win since Super Bowl LIII.

The defense steps up

The offense wasn’t at its best on Sunday, but it didn’t matter, because the defense stepped up and won the Patriots the game. When Drake Maye was intercepted at the 10-yard line on...

For much of the regular season, Drake Maye carried the New England Patriots to victory. In the wild card playoff round against the Los Angeles Chargers, however, others had to do the heavy lifting.

Celebrating a 16-3 victory at Gillette Stadium on Sunday night, the defense was the star of the show. Maye’s performance, meanwhile, was a mixed bag that included displays of his elite playmaking ability as well as some inaccurate passes and ball security concerns.

Unsurprisingly, the Pro Bowler stressed the need for improvement afterwards.

“Wasn’t pretty, that’s for sure, but this defense was so fun to watch,”...

The New England Patriots moved on to the divisional round on Sunday night. Taking down the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium, the team won its playoff opener with a final score of 16-3.

Here is who caught our eye for better or worse upon live-viewing the Patriots’ wild card victory.

Winners

DT Milton Williams & ED K’Lavon Chaisson: Against a beat-up Chargers offensive line, the Patriots pass rush had the ability to take over Sunday night’s game. While it took a few series for them to heat up, the unit prevailed and ended the night pressuring Justin Herbert...

The New England Patriots put the clamps on the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild card round of the playoffs, surrendering only a field goal in a 16-3 victory on Sunday night. The defensive performance paved the way for that win, and it was one earned through relentless pressure and deception.

That combination, conducted from the sideline by defensive play caller Zak Kuhr, left the Chargers guessing throughout the night. And don’t just take it from us: they said so himself, according to linebacker Robert Spillane.

“Zak has been great all year. He keeps the dial spinning. He keeps offenses...

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye ran off the field to chants of “MVP! MVP! MVP!” on Sunday.

It’s safe to say that he didn’t play like one, though…

Maye, who turned the ball over twice and was one lucky bounce away from doing it a third time, deflected any and all credit following his first playoff victory over the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium.

“It wasn’t my best tonight, but hey, that’s why you have teammates — they picked me up tonight,” Maye said following the game, per team-provided video. “… I’ve got to be better.”

New England...

Head coach Mike Vrabel was on the visitors’ sideline the last time the New England Patriots hosted a playoff game.

He wasn’t on Sunday night as the AFC East champions outlasted the Los Angeles Chargers for a 16-3 win.

Here’s a glance back on the wild card at Gillette Stadium, six years removed from the previous, before sights set on the divisional round.

Maye rides the waves for first playoff win

A long line of Patriots awaited their NFL playoff debuts. Drake Maye stood at the front of it.

The 23-year-old quarterback completed 17-of-29 passes for 268 yards on...

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel is on the board with his first playoff victory since returning to the franchise — but he isn’t satisfied.

Vrabel took his typical approach to the postgame media availability following Sunday’s wild-card victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, choosing to take the positives of the performance and intertwine them with points of emphasis moving forward.

“We turned the ball over far too many times, but what our defense was able to do early in the game… really set the tone for the rest of the game,” Vrabel said, per team-provided video. “It could...