The LA Chargers and New England Patriots matchup is among the more even contests of Wild Card weekend. Both teams have been impressive at times and are led by their quarterbacks, Drake Maye and Justin Herbert. The position could be the biggest differentiating factor when it’s all said and done.
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After all, Maye is up for the MVP award. Herbert, on the other hand, isn’t up for any awards… except for his second-career Pro Bowl. But he logged another solid season with the Bolts, ranking in the top 10 in passing yards, passing TDs, and completions.
No offense to Herbert, but Maye will be the focal point on Sunday. He’s been stellar all season and is evolving into the next face of the NFL. That’s why, when Chargers defender Khalil Mack was asked about the Patriots QB, he gave the man his flowers.
“He’s special, man. He has the arm talent, looks pretty fast as well. So, it’s going to be a challenge for us to keep him in the pocket,” Mack told the media via the LA Chargers YouTube.
But he didn’t stop there. The former Defensive Player of the Year went on to describe the multiple ways Maye can hurt them, and what they need to do to stop it.
“Rushing coverage is going to have to work well. Just understanding we gotta rush four as one up front. Keep him contained in the pocket. Not letting him get out whenever he doesn’t see anybody open,” Mack listed before continuing,
“On the back end, we’re going to have to cover as well, because he’s accurate and able to get the ball in all different types of spots.”
Maye led the NFL this season by completing 72% of his passes. It’s an otherworldly number, with the next closest contender more than two percentage points behind. He’s also thrown only eight INTs and fumbled the ball twice, making him a savant when it comes to taking care of the football.
Despite Maye’s effectiveness, Mack later shared that his defensive coordinator’s message to the defense ahead of the game hadn’t changed.
“Same as it’s always been. Understanding who we want to be, the defense we want to be, and putting it on film. Honestly, not talking about it too much. But just knowing what we want to be, and we understand what we want to be,” Mack shared.
The Chargers’ defense has been playing better as of late. In fact, they haven’t allowed an opposing team to score more than 21 points since Week 11. They simply need to stick to what’s been working over the past few months, and they could find themselves in a battle in the fourth quarter.
All in all, we know that Maye and Herbert are the main talking points in this matchup. However, this could be a sneaky, defensive battle. It’s Maye’s first career playoff game, and the Chargers’ defense is hot. Meanwhile, Herbert also tends to struggle in playoff games, and the Patriots’ defense could play a major role as well.
The sportsbooks are favoring Maye and the Pats right now by 3.5 points, and we aren’t going to disagree. Riding a three-game winning streak and carrying momentum all season long, New England should win this contest. We’ll predict they take it 17-12 in a grinder of a game where the Chargers struggle to score touchdowns. It would be the Patriots’ first playoff win since the 2018 season.
