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Taylor Heinicke in at QB for Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers are headed to the postseason, as they clinched a playoff berth with their dominant 40-7 victory over the New England Patriots. This matchup was never in doubt, as L.A. quickly jumped out to a 17-0 lead, and never let up.
The Chargers offense impressed in this win, racking up 428 yards of total offense while scoring points on seven straight drives. Justin Herbert completed 26 of 38 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns before being sat down in the fourth quarter, and rookie wideout Ladd McConkey caught eight passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns. In his return to the field, J.K. Dobbins rushed 19 times for 76 yards and a touchdown.
The Patriots struggled on both sides of the ball Saturday. Not only did Herbert dice up this defense from the pocket, but the New England offense didn't cross 130 yards of total offense until the fourth quarter. Rookie quarterback Drake Maye completed 12 of 22 passes for 117 yards and one touchdown. New England picked up just 11 first downs compared to L.A.'s 29.
Let's take a look at what went down in New England on Saturday.
Chargers clinch playoff spot
In Jim Harbaugh's first season back in the NFL, his Chargers are headed to the postseason. According to the Associated Press, Harbaugh is the first coach in the Super Bowl era to take two teams that had losing records the year before he arrived to the playoffs in his first season.
This is L.A.'s first playoff appearance since 2022, when the Chargers' blew a 27-0 lead to Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars in the wild-card round. With the Chargers' win vs. New England, there is just one more playoff spot remaining in the AFC. That can be clinched by the Denver Broncos this afternoon against Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.
Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey dominate
If there was any doubt prior to this week, McConkey is Herbert's No. 1 wideout. He accounted for one-third of Herbert's passing yards, and two of Herbert's three passing touchdowns. With his 94-yard receiving performance on Saturday, McConkey has now tied Odell Beckham Jr. in having the longest streak of 50-yard receiving games by any rookie (9). McConkey also passed Keenan Allen for the most receiving yards and receptions recorded by a Charger in his rookie season.
The Chargers met a goal by making the playoffs, but they don't want to be a one-and-done. The duo of Herbert and McConkey is going to be important if Los Angeles wants to make a postseason run.
Patriots struggle on both sides of the ball
The Patriots' performance on Saturday was pathetic. The offense went 2 of 10 on third downs, 0 of 3 on fourth downs and picked up just 181 yards of total offense. By the way, more than half of those 181 yards came in garbage time. Maye made a couple of decent plays with his legs, but it wasn't near enough for New England to be competitive.
Defensively, the Patriots lost star cornerback Christian Gonzalez early in the game due to a concussion, but that doesn't make up for the fact that Herbert faced virtually zero pressure on Saturday. The Patriots failed to register a single sack, and forced just one punt in the first three quarters.
We entered last offseason saying the Patriots had plenty of holes to fill on their roster, and we will enter this offseason saying the exact same thing.
Play of the game
Maybe the Patriots were blown out, but their lone touchdown of the game was an impressive one. With pressure in his face, Maye threw up a ball to DeMario Douglas off a free play, and it resulted in a touchdown. "Free play Maye."
What's next
The Chargers wrap up the regular season next Sunday in Las Vegas against the rival Raiders. The Patriots will play their final game at home next Sunday vs. Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.
