Foxborough, MA – The Patriots won their first playoff game in seven years in a 16-3 victory over the Chargers at Gillette Stadium on Sunday night to advance to the divisional round in the NFL playoffs.

Heading into the postseason, Mike Vrabel's first season as Patriots head coach was already a success. With a 14-3 regular season, a 10-win turnaround, there's a house money feel for the ahead of schedule Patriots. However, there's also a sense of validation by taking out the Chargers. If the regular-season success was one step, Sunday night's playoff win is one giant leap for New England.

As for how the game unfolded, it was the Patriots defense that carried them to victory on Sunday night. New England held the Chargers and star QB Justin Herbert to just three points, 207 total yards of offense, 1-for-13 on late downs, and 0-for-2 in the red zone. The Patriots sacked Herbert six times, forced a turnover, and covered as well as they have all season in the secondary, with defensive play-caller Zak Kuhr spinning the dial on Herbert and the Chargers.

Kuhr was thrust into a play-caller role due to health issues for DC Terrell Williams, and if we had a game ball to give, it would go to Kuhr. The Pats defense had the Chargers offense's heads spinning, with Kuhr mixing in blitzes to generate a 36.4% pressure rate on Herbert to take over against a banged-up offensive line, the matchup within the matchup the Pats had to win. Speaking to reporters, captain Robert Spillane, who returned from a three-game absence, said Chargers players gave the Patriots kudos for their game plan.

"After the game, talking to a few of the guys on the other team, they had no clue what we were doing. And they came up and said, 'We had no clue what you guys were in all game.' So for him just to be able to build those packages throughout the week, our back-end players to know how to disguise the different defenses, really keeps quarterbacks guessing," Spillane said. "Zak [Kuhr] has been great all year. He keeps the dial spinning. He keeps offenses guessing."

Offensively, QB Drake Maye was the first to admit it wasn't his best performance in his first career playoff game. Tonight, the Patriots deserve their flowers, but to keep winning in the postseason, they'll need Maye and the offense to play better. Maye put the ball in harm's way three times, giving it away twice, and the Chargers defensive front had it rolling against the Patriots offensive line. When the Patriots turn the page to the Steelers or Texans next Sunday, they'll need to correct some of the miscues and learn from LA's defensive game plan to keep advancing: it's a copycat league, and the next opponent will watch this film of Maye to replicate what the Chargers did.

That said, we'll start talking about next week soon. For now, it's all about enjoying a huge playoff win for the Patriots. There was a lot of outside noise about a soft schedule and the Patriots being fool's gold this season. Well, there's nothing left to say after New England stamped their ticket to the divisional round besides we'll see you all next Sunday.​

Here are eight takeaways from the Patriots playoff victory over the Chargers on Sunday night.

1. Play of the Game: Patriots Defense Gets Rolling with Fourth-Down Stop in the Red Zone

Following their dominant performance against the Chargers, Patriots defenders said a critical red-zone stop early in the game was the turning point.​

Coming into the playoffs, New England ranked 30th in red-zone defense, so it was a perceived area of weakness. However, it was a strength on Sunday night, with the Patriots defense bailing out the offense after Maye turned it over backed up on his own goal line. LA took over after a first-quarter interception at the NE 10, and the Patriots defense answered with four straight stops to force a turnover on downs, which stymied any moment the Chargers gained from creating a turnover. ​

On the key fourth down, the Patriots dialed up a cover-zero blitz. Herbert went 1-for-4 for eight yards against cover zero, with the Pats producing two unblocked pressures by bringing all-out blitzes. Above, New England overloads the right side of the Chargers O-Line by bringing seven rushers. The Chargers block six of them, with the back taking LB Christian Elliss, but nobody blocks Spillane. With tight coverage by the four coverage defenders and pressure in his face, Herbert is hurried into a throw-away.

The Patriots pressure package was relentless all night long, with the Patriots producing nine total pressures when they sent extra rushers at Herbert. Now, we'll talk about New England needing to bring extra rushers to generate pressure eventually, but with the Chargers keying in on standout defensive tackles Milton Williams and Christian Barmore, it was adding on rushers from the second and third levels that tilted the game in the Patriots favor.

"Zak [Kuhr] was able to change up some calls there at the end. I felt like that mixed the pressure in because that's what we felt like we needed," Vrabel said. "I'm proud of Zak for not only the performance calling the game, but the preparation and what goes into it. He's earned every bit of recognition that he's getting and should get.​

If the Patriots play defense at close to this level, they'll be tough to beat in the playoffs.

2. QB Drake Maye Admits 'It Wasn't My Best Tonight' in First-Ever Playoff Game

When you hear from young quarterbacks who have played in the postseason, they often say that winning your first playoff game in the NFL is the hardest to get that monkey off your back.

On Sunday night, Maye had some uncharacteristic misses, producing his worst completion rate in a half this season when he was 6-of-15 for 95 passing yards and an interception in the opening two quarters. That being said, Maye was much better in the final two quarters while delivering a perfect 28-yard touchdown strike to TE Hunter Henry. Maye was 11-of-14 for 173 passing yards in the second half, while adding +0.23 EPA per drop-back for a 142.0 passer rating. The second-year quarterback still lost a fumble and missed a wide-open Austin Hooper for a touchdown after halftime, but it was much better once he settled in.

The throw of the evening for Maye was hitting voids in the Chargers zone coverages into the sideline. Maye hit several cover-two hole shots where he layers passes between the flat defender and split-field safety, while his touchdown pass to Henry was a similar throw against a cover-three zone coverage. ​

In the play, the Patriots run the "sail" concept where rookie WR Kyle Williams clears out the coverage for Henry to run the deep corner route into the sideline. The outside corner to that side of the field, CB Cam Hart, has no choice but to carry Williams' vertical route, so Henry's route floods Hart's zone. Chargers S Derwin James nearly makes a terrific play to come from the flat to run underneath Henry's route, but Maye feathers the ball over James' out-stretched hand for six – an elite throw, as Vrabel said.

Along with hitting four explosive pass plays, Maye also did damage with his legs. For example, the Pats QB set New England up for a critical field goal before halftime with a 37-yard scramble. The Chargers dropped into a quarters scheme, matching the underneath receivers. Maye saw the secondary was occupied with his pass-catchers and took advantage of a four-man rush to get loose for a huge run that netted three points before halftime.

As mentioned, the turnovers caused by the Chargers defense were in the "stuff that gets you beat" category for Maye, who noted he felt he was holding the ball too long on Sunday night (2.91s average time to throw). Maye appeared to be pressing too much to make plays from collapsing pockets rather than prioritizing ball security by just taking sacks when the pass rush got home.

Moving forward, he'll need to protect the ball better, but Maye still made several big plays and put the Patriots firmly in the driver's seat by leading the only touchdown drive of the game.

3. New England's Secondary Delivers Best Performance of the Season vs. Chargers ​

In their biggest game to date, the Patriots secondary delivered their best performance of the season. New England seemed extremely prepared for the Chargers route combinations and designed shot plays, with the Pats CB trio of Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis III, and Marcus Jones dominating the matchup.

Along with adding on as a blitzer several times, Jones covered Chargers WR Ladd McConkey on 20 routes and held McConkey to one catch on two targets with a pass breakup. Gonzalez was also terrific by not allowing a single completion on five targets, covering Chargers WR Quentin Johnston on 13 routes. Unfortunately, Gonzalez exited the game in the second half due to a head injury, which usually means a player has been placed in concussion protocol. With the Patriots advancing, Gonzalez's status will be worth monitoring. ​

4. Patriots Rookie Offensive Linemen Struggle vs. Chargers Impressive Defensive Front

Entering the matchup, we tried our best to highlight how formidable the Chargers pass defense was, with a big, physical defensive line that causes havoc each week.

On Sunday night, the Chargers D-Line won the battle in the trenches, producing 12 total pressures and holding the Patriots to an average 38% rushing success rate, In particular, rookie LT Will Campbell (two sacks, six total pressures) and LG Jared Wilson (two sacks, four total pressures) struggles on Sunday night. Campbell was beaten on a strip-sack by the speed of Chargers DE Odafe Oweh and gave some ground to power rusher Tuli Tuipulotu. Wilson allowed a sack on a stunt scheme and a bull rush by DT Teair Tart. Again, LA has a good defensive line, but the level of competition is high during the postseason.

Over the next week, it'll be interesting to hear from Vrabel about veteran Ben Brown possibly getting an opportunity to play left guard over Wilson, who returned after a two-game absence.

5. How Did the Chargers Defense Shut the Patriots Receivers Down in the First Half?

Although the quarterback had some throws he'd want back, it also appeared that the Chargers had tight coverage on Maye's receivers at times, particularly in the first half.

Los Angeles played 71.8% of its coverage snaps in zone schemes, but it increased its man coverage rate from its season average of over 19% to 28.2% vs. the Patriots. Maye went just 1-for-7 for seven yards against man-to-man, speaking to the Pats possibly being caught off-guard by the uptick in man coverage calls by LA and the Patriots receivers' ability to separate against sticky coverage. The other theme we're consistently seeing lately is defenses doubling or bracketing WR Stefon Diggs, with the Chargers using defenders dropping off the line of scrimmage to make Maye hold the ball while looking Diggs' way.

If defenses continue to key in on Diggs, the Patriots other receivers need to step up. To his credit, WR Kayshon Boutte caught all four of his targets for 66 yards, winning some 1-on-1 battles on the outside and finding soft spots in zone coverage. Above, the Chargers run a cover-two scheme, and Boutte does well to work back to the football in front of the split-field safety to hit a big play in the second half.

On the one hand, it's good news that defenses are treating Diggs like a No. 1 receiver who dictates coverage, but they'll need Boutte and others to keep producing if it continues.

6. More Numbers on the Patriots Pass Rush vs. the Chargers O-Line

As mentioned, there's a lot to unpack from the performance by the Patriots pass rush. The Pats four-man rushes still struggled in this game, with New England producing an 18.2% pressure rate on 22 drop-backs with a four-man rush. Without blitzing, the Patriots generated only a 29.2% pressure rate, compared to 45% when they blitzed Herbert on Sunday night.

That said, DT Milton Williams (two sacks, three pressures), EDGE K'Lavon Chaisson (two sacks, five pressures), and DT Christian Bamore (three pressures) had productive days. Edge rusher Anfernee Jennings also got into the mix with a thunderous sack of Herbert. Williams winning 1-on-1 with his bull rush was a good sign. Again, the blitzes were fantastic, but the Patriots will need to get more out of their standard rushes.

7. Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson Continues Streak of Great Play vs. Chargers

Along with some key plays down the stretch from Maye, the other standout offensively was RB Rhamondre Stevenson, who continues his recent stretch of great performances. Stevenson led the Patriots with 128 scrimmage yards, with 53 rushing yards and 75 receiving yards. Stevenson's 48-yard catch-and-run set up a field goal for New England in the first half, with the Pats back sneaking out of the backfield and getting loose off a nice block by Williams. Although the Patriots run game was hit or miss, Stevenson was great, and rookie RB TreVeyon Henderson delivered a key blitz pickup on Henry's touchdown catch.

8. Rookie K Andy Borregales Goes 4-for-4, Coverage Units Shine in Win

Lastly, Patriots rookie K Andy Borregales made field goals of 39, 35, and 23 yards and drilled his lone extra point. New England also covered kicks well in this game, allowing just a 34-yard long kickoff return and downing multiple punts. Special teams ace Brenden Schooler, in particular, was flying around in his first-career playoff game. Schooler (tackle) and rookie S Craig Woodson (two tackles) were impactful on the Pats kickoff coverage units.

To put a bow on the Patriots victory, postseason games often are unpredictable, while it takes winning different ways to get through the NFL's playoff gauntlet. New England winning a game with its defense leading the charge wasn't on my bingo card, but it shows they can win on defense, which bodes well for the Patriots moving forward.

On Sunday night, the Patriots solidified their standing as a legitimate threat in the AFC.

DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer