SI

Chargers Players Made Shocking Admission After Getting Dominated By Patriots

L.A. had no answers for Patriots' confusing defense.

Kyle Koster

Justin Herbert and the Chargers offense was dominated by the Patriots on Sunday night.
Justin Herbert and the Chargers offense was dominated by the Patriots on Sunday night. / David Butler II-Imagn Images
In this story:

The Los Angeles Chargers failed to get anything going during a 16-3 wild-card loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday night. Nothing Jim Harbaugh and the offensive braintrust tried to do in order to protect Justin Herbert worked at all, not even for a minute, as the quarterback was bodied for 60 minutes in what honestly became a safety issue. Mike Vrabel's defense dominated all night by sending stunts and exotic blitz packages through the art of disguise. It was a masterclass in making an opposing quarterback uncomfortable and at no point did the Chargers come close to solving the riddle.

New England linebacker Robert Spillane revealed as much after the game as he relayed what Chargers players told him about the Patriots' scheme.

"After the game, talking to a few of the guys on their team, they had no clue what we were doing," Spillane said. "They came up and said that. 'We had no clue what you guys were in all game.'"

Zak Kuhr has stepped up to be New England's de facto defensive coordinator this season as Terrell Williams deals with health complications. It's hard to imagine painting a better picture than shutting down what can be an explosive offense on the biggest stage.

Over the past three games the Patriots have allowed 23 total points. Up next is a date against the winner of the Texans-Steelers clash on Monday night. Either of those opponents will be tasked with figuring out just what the heck New England was running—just in case they run it again with a spot in the AFC championship game on the line.

More NFL on Sports Illustrated

Start off your day with SI:CYMI. dark. FREE NEWSLETTER. SI BTN Newsletter

feed

Published
Kyle Koster
KYLE KOSTER

Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.

Home/NFL