Why ESPN Insider Believes Patriots Remain ‘Untested’ After Playoff Win

Not even a double-digit playoff win is enough to sell everyone on the New England Patriots.

Mike Vrabel’s team entered the postseason facing questions galore about their ability to handle tougher opponents. The Patriots responded by dominating Justin Herbert in a 16-3 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night.

Dan Graziano didn’t view the Wild Card Round triumph as validation for the Patriots. Instead, the ESPN insider doubled down on the idea that the AFC East champions “still haven’t beaten anybody good.”

“Oh sure, they won. Which is all that matters at this point,” Graziano wrote. “But their performance did not scream ‘No. 2 seed/Super Bowl contender,’ and it did little to tamp down the notion of them being an untested team that could struggle against better competition.”

New England’s defense put on a clinic, but the offense wasn’t its crispest. The Patriots mustered their lowest point tally since a Week 3 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, going three red-zone visits without a touchdown. Drake Maye settled down in the second half, but the 23-year-old threw an interception and lost one of his two fumbles.

Graziano believes the Patriots might have gotten eliminated had they drawn a less vulnerable opponent.

“The Patriots made some plays when they had to against the Chargers,” Graziano noted. “They made their field goal attempts, which really matters in games that are touchdown-free until the final 10 minutes. But they were also sloppy with the ball and didn’t generate much of their usual exciting, explosive offense. The Chargers’ defense was one of the best at limiting explosive plays this season, so that might have been a part of it. But it would have been hard to watch this game and not think a team with a functional offense could have knocked out New England in the first round.”

The Patriots will either get a rematch against the Steelers or a red-hot Houston Texans team boasting the league’s top-ranked defense. Graziano isn’t writing off the Pats because of an imperfect triumph.

“This is the survive-and-advance time of the year, and the fact that the Patriots won ugly doesn’t disqualify them from winning it all,” Graziano wrote. “It just adds a little bit of strength to the arguments of those who continue to believe this team is playing over its head.”