FOXBOROUGH, MA - JANUARY 04: Drake Maye 10 of the New England Patriots on the bench during a game between the New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins on January 4, 2026, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire NFL, American Football Herren, USA JAN 04 Dolphins at Patriots EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon482260104180
FOXBOROUGH, MA - JANUARY 04: Drake Maye 10 of the New England Patriots on the bench during a game between the New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins on January 4, 2026, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire NFL, American Football Herren, USA JAN 04 Dolphins at Patriots EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon482260104180
Jan 12, 2026, 4:54 AM CUT
Patriots Get One Over Chargers During Playoffs as Drake Maye Continues MVP Charge
Drake Maye won his debut postseason game, as the New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Chargers by a 16-3 score.
This was New England’s fourth playoff victory against the Chargers in five meetings. The game was tight, as only one touchdown was scored in the entire game.
In the first three quarters, both teams relied on field goals. The Chargers’ Cameron Dicker scored a 21-yard field goal, while Borregales converted three field goals to score 10 of New England’s 16 points. The fans had to wait until the last quarter for a touchdown.
When the Patriots were leading 9-3, Maye led the charge and threw the ball to Hunter Henry. He successfully scored a 28-yard touchdown and extended their lead to 16-3. When the Chargers got a chance to cut the lead, they blew it, and New England’s C. Elliss recovered the fumble and gained possession with little over eight minutes to go.
Thanks to their resolute defence, New England stopped Herbert’s last attempt and won the game. With this win, Maye makes his case even stronger to become the MVP of the season.
They will wait for the winner of the game between the Houston Texans and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Will the 23-year-old year be able to go all the way and continue the legacy that once Tom Brady carried? Only time will tell.
Agony for Justin Herbert, ecstasy for Drake Maye
Neither of the quarterbacks was quite up to the mark today, as Drake Maye and Justin Herbert both struggled to score a touchdown.
Talking about Maye, he wasn’t that bad tonight, scoring a touchdown for 268 passing yards. Not only that, New England’s second-year QB rushed for 69 yards in just 7 receptions, his season high.
Unfortunately, concerning this, Maye was sacked a total of five times this season, taking his tally to a total of 52 sacks, fourth-highest in the league. He has to improve before a more dangerous defense takes full advantage of it.
His counterpart, Herbert’s outing, didn’t go as he would’ve wished. He threw for 159 passing yards, but scored 0 touchdowns. Herbert also rushed for 57 yards on 10 receptions.
However, the biggest story was that the Patriots sacked him 6 times. Herbert now has 60 sacks against his name, the most by any QB this season. With this loss, the 27-year-old has now lost three playoff games, having already lost twice in 2022 and 2024.
Written by
Kalp Thaker
Edited by
Oajaswini Prabhu