Los Angeles Chargers vs New England Patriots Match Player Stats​ (Jan 11, 2026)

Herbert took six sacks, converted one of ten third downs, and left Gillette Stadium 0-3 in his career in the postseason. New England’s drought ended at seven years.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — January 11, 2026

Justin Herbert walked off Gillette Stadium with six sacks, one converted third down out of ten, and a career playoff record of 0-3. Los Angeles never reached the end zone. Their season ended with 207 total yards on the scoreboard and five punts.

The New England Patriots beat the Los Angeles Chargers 16-3 in the AFC Wild Card — their first postseason win since Super Bowl LIII. Drake Maye threw the game’s only touchdown, ran for a team-high 66 yards, and posted a 142.0 passer rating in the second half alone.

Attendance: 64,628. Temperature at kickoff: 35 degrees.

Scoring Summary

The first quarter ended scoreless for both sides. New England opened the scoring in the second on a 14-play, 93-yard drive that started at the Patriots’ own two-yard line — Daiyan Henley had just intercepted Maye — and still finished with three points. Los Angeles answered with Dicker’s 21-yarder, the only score the Chargers would manage. Maye’s 37-yard scramble with no timeouts and under a minute left put Borregales in range at the buzzer, and New England took a 6-3 lead into the half. Los Angeles never led. Not once.

Quarterback Stats

Chism’s pass attempt was a trick play in the first quarter, targeting Maye as a receiver.

Maye’s first half was uneven. His interception came off a Tart tip in the first quarter; he fumbled twice in the second half. The Chargers converted neither into points. After halftime, he went 11-of-14 for 173 yards at a 142.0 passer rating. The gap between the two offenses shows up most clearly in one metric: New England produced eight completions of 15 or more yards. Los Angeles produced one.

Herbert, less than five weeks removed from hand surgery on his non-throwing hand, was under pressure on nearly 30 percent of his dropbacks. His 159 passing yards were the lowest in any start of his 2025 season.

“There was no issue. I just have to do a better job holding onto the ball.” — Justin Herbert

Coach Jim Harbaugh offered a different account: “He’s a warrior. He just gives it everything he has, all the time,” while acknowledging the injury was a factor.

Rushing Stats

Maye’s 37-yard third-down scramble in the final minute of the second quarter — no timeouts, clock running — kept the drive alive for Borregales’ field goal as time expired. Stevenson’s 13-yard run on the penultimate play of the fourth-quarter touchdown drive was the other key moment on the ground.

Herbert led the Chargers in rushing, but his 57 yards came almost entirely on scrambles off broken pockets rather than designed carries.

Receiving Stats

Stevenson’s 48-yard catch-and-run was the biggest play of the night. He caught a short check-down, shook three attempted tackles, and turned it into a half-field gain. All 75 of his receiving yards came after the catch. Boutte caught all four of his targets, including a 42-yard reception in the third quarter that shifted New England’s field position from its own 31 to the Chargers’ 27 — two plays before Borregales kicked the third field goal.

Henry caught the only touchdown on a back-shoulder 28-yard throw from Maye over the middle of the end zone in the fourth quarter.

Allen drew eight targets, the most of any receiver on either side, and finished with 25 yards. Christian Gonzalez covered him for much of the evening, allowing zero completions on four targets with two pass breakups.

Defense Stats

New England Patriots

Los Angeles Chargers

Chaisson’s strip-sack of Herbert at the 8:17 mark of the fourth quarter settled the game. Christian Elliss recovered the fumble at the Los Angeles 45. New England drove 80 yards in seven plays for the game’s only touchdown. Herbert fumbled three times across the evening, losing one.

Oweh was the standout on either defensive roster. Three sacks, three tackles for loss, a 90.8 PFF grade in 25 snaps. He was the best pass rusher on the field and the Chargers’ offense gave him nothing to show for it.

“We can control the game. If we do what we need to do up front, we’re going to win.” — Milton Williams

Team Stats

Los Angeles converted one of ten third downs. That 10 percent rate forced short drives, constant punts, and a defense spending far too much time back on the field. Five Chargers punts in a playoff game says plenty about how the offense performed.

Kicking and Special Teams

Game Information

The last time Los Angeles failed to score a touchdown in a postseason game was a 21-12 AFC Championship loss — to the New England Patriots — in the 2007 season. On January 11, 2026, the same franchise held them scoreless in the end zone again.

Herbert, who had gone 0-2 in the playoffs before this game, finished 0-3. For the second straight year, the Chargers went home after the Wild Card round. Herbert was his team’s leading rusher in a playoff loss. He also took six sacks. He was playing through a surgically repaired hand and Jim Harbaugh later admitted it mattered.

In the New England locker room, Milton Williams celebrated with a headbutt that left first-year coach Mike Vrabel with a bloodied lip.

“The big dogs come out in January. I think Milt took that to heart. He came over and got me pretty good. But that’s what happens.” — Mike Vrabel

Seven years between playoff wins. One busted lip. A 174-yard advantage in total offense. The Patriots were back.