Patriots stifle Chargers to win their first playoff game in seven years | NFL

Drake Maye threw a touchdown pass to Hunter Henry in the fourth quarter, and the New England defense manhandled Justin Herbert as the Patriots beat the Los Angeles Chargers 16-3 in their AFC wild-card playoff game Sunday night.

Andy Borregales scored three field goals for the Patriots, who won a playoff game for the first time since winning the Super Bowl in the 2018 season. They will host the winner of Monday night’s game between Pittsburgh and Houston in the divisional round.

In his first career playoff game, Maye completed 17 of 29 passes for 268 yards and ran for a team-high 66 yards. He also threw an interception and lost a fumble, but the Chargers couldn’t capitalize on those turnovers.

New England held the Chargers to 207 offensive yards and sacked Herbert six times, one of which resulted in a lost fumble that set up the Patriots’ TD.

This is the second straight season the Chargers have lost in the wild card round. Herbert finished 19 of 31 for 159 yards and was his team’s leading rusher with 57 yards as it fell to 0-3 in the playoffs.