10 takeaways from Patriots 16-3 Wild Card win over Chargers

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FOXBOROUGH — The New England Patriots are onto the divisional round.

It wasn't the prettiest game they have played all season, and it certainly wasn't the cleanest, but the entire team stepped up when it mattered most, and in the end, they secured a hard-fought victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. And with that, it was truly a defensive battle as the Patriots held Los Angeles to only three points, while putting up 16 of their own.

Here are the takeaways from Sunday night's Wild Card win:

1. The Patriots' defense has come alive when it matters most

Throughout the season, it was known that the Patriots' defense had the talent, but putting it together and getting everyone to work cohesively was what took some time. However, on Sunday night, New England proved that they have the type of defense that could take them all the way to San Francisco.

"I thought they played extremely well. I thought they were committed to stopping the run," head coach Mike Vrabel said after the game. "What our defense was able to do early in that game, in the red zone, inside the five-yard line or inside the nine-yard line, I think really set the tone for them for the rest of the game... Secondary did a fantastic job with the play extensions, making sure that those plays didn’t get loose. Just really proud of everybody."

And with that, the defense held the Chargers to just three points, which is the first time this season that they allowed fewer than 10 points in a game.

2. Marcus Jones is that guy

Jones continues to have a standout season, making some big plays against the Chargers. Specifically, after Drake Maye was intercepted in the first quarter, the Chargers had the ball on the Patriots' 12-yard line, and a touchdown or at least a field goal felt imminent. However, the defense held up, with Jones making a nice tackle on third down, forcing the Chargers to go for it on fourth-and-goal, with the result being a turnover on downs. He also had a crucial pass breakup on a ball from Justin Herbert intended for Ladd McConkey that forced Los Angeles to go three-and-out on the first drive of the second half.

3. Milton Williams delivers in the biggest moments

Mike Vrabel delivered a very clear message to Milton Williams this week: “Big dogs come out January."

And the defensive tackle admitted after the game that he "took it to heart."

So much so that Williams sealed the victory for New England, sacking Justin Herbert on the Chargers' fourth down attempt coming out of the two-minute warning. Williams finished the game with two sacks.

4. Drake Maye has a few turnovers

It wasn't Maye's best night of the season. The quarterback had two turnovers, giving up an interception to the Chargers in the first quarter after the ball was tipped. And then, he made a poor decision, trying to get the ball out instead of taking the sack, with the result being a strip sack and the Chargers' recovery. He had another fumble later on, but luckily, left guard Jared Wilson jumped on top of the ball and avoided giving Los Angeles good field position.

Ultimately, Maye finished 17-of-29 for 268 yards and a touchdown along with one interception. He added 10 carries for 66 yards. Maye was also sacked five times.

"It wasn’t my best tonight," Maye admitted after the game. "But that’s why you have teammates, those guys picked me up. Never lost confidence. Was still slinging it around."

5. Efton Chism should stick to wide receiver

The Patriots tried to get a little cute in the first quarter, with Josh McDaniels calling a trick play that had Efton Chism throwing to a wide open Drake Maye. However, Chism's pass attempt was a bit overthrown and Maye wasn't able to get to the ball.

However, just a few plays later, Maye hit Chism for a 20-yard gain, putting New England in field goal position to end the opening frame.

6. Chargers couldn't convert on third down

1-for-10

That's how the Chargers performed on third downs against the Patriots, converting the chains only once on 10 attempts. It was a solid showing, and it's safe to say the playoff atmosphere at Gillette Stadium helped, as it got very loud on every single conversion attempt. Los Angeles also had three fourth-down conversion attempts, with only one of those being successful.

7. Hunter Henry delivers only touchdown of the night

Touchdowns were few and far between on Sunday, but Maye was able to find Hunter Henry in the fourth quarter. The 28-yard pass put the Patriots ahead by 13 points, or two scores, with just over nine minutes remaining.

8. Once the pass rush started, there was no stopping them

At the beginning of the game, Justin Herbert had A LOT of time in the pocket. And because of that, he was able to make plays. However, once the defense, and more specifically, the pass rush started putting pressure on the Chargers' quarterback, the game changed. Herbert was sacked six times throughout the night, taking some hard hits from New England's defense.

9. Injury scares at the cornerback position

At the end of the first half, Carlton Davis went out with a toe injury, with Charles Woods stepping in opposite of Christian Gonzalez. But that was a short scare as Davis returned to the game at the start of the third quarter. Then, in the fourth quarter, Gonzalez was marked questionable to return with a head injury, but was ultimately downgraded to out

10. What's next?

The Patriots will face off against the winner of the Houston Texans-Pittsburgh Steelers Monday night matchup on Sunday, Jan. 18, in the divisional round. A time has not been announced yet.

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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: 10 takeaways from Patriots 16-3 Wild Card win over Chargers

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