00:00Adam, the Patriots are back in the win column, a playoff win column, I should say.
00:05And yeah, I mean, look, it was not the favorite game of the weekend.
00:09I mean, that's for sure.
00:10It was sort of a dud there.
00:12And listen, the Patriots probably in a normal situation without those mistakes, probably
00:17put a 30 spot, I would say, on the Chargers.
00:19But they made their own mistakes.
00:21And they'll just take it at this point just because the Chargers couldn't get out of their
00:24own way on offense.
00:25In fact, I guess what I would say, I feel like a prisoner of the moment, Adam.
00:30Credit to Patriots defense, discredit to the offensive line of the Chargers, but you'd
00:35be hard pressed to watch playoff games where you just see the ineptitude of an offensive
00:41line like you saw with the Chargers last night.
00:43That was my takeaway.
00:44Well, so there are a few things there.
00:47Obviously, the preceding playoff games that we had, the two Saturday and then the two
00:51before this one on Sunday, you're right.
00:53All four of those games were much more pleasant to the eye as a football fan.
00:58If you're into rock fights and defense, this was the game for you.
01:02If I'm not mistaken, this is the first NFL playoff game that has not featured a touchdown
01:07until the fourth quarter since the Patriots beat the Rams in the Super Bowl going back
01:13what, seven, eight years.
01:14It's been a while.
01:15And also in that same vein, the first Patriots playoff win since that very game.
01:20So it has been despite two decades of dominance in the dynasty and all of the Bill Belichick,
01:26Tom Brady talk that we always do, it's been kind of hard times by comparison for the Patriots
01:32of late.
01:32So yes, back in the win column with this new tandem of Drake May and Mike Braybould certainly
01:37was not May's best showing for a guy that's been the MVP conversation, pardon me, throughout
01:44much of the year.
01:45Had the fourth multi-turnover game of his season.
01:48He, of course, fumbled the ball twice, lost it once, really on one of those, should have
01:54taken a sack.
01:55I don't even know what he was doing, attempting to pass that ball.
01:58But you're right.
01:59I mean, I think the Patriots defense deserves a ton of credit.
02:03I mean, Milton Williams in coming back after missing some time there in the second half of
02:08the season due to his injury, had that game-sealing sack of Herbert, who was sacked, what, six
02:13times by the Patriots defense.
02:15Drake May took a handful as well, so defense was excellent, really, on both sides.
02:19In fact, those two QBs, in many ways, similar stat lines, May had more passing yardage, but
02:26both of these guys led their teams in rushing yards.
02:29Both fumbled the ball multiple times, losing one.
02:32Both, obviously, had their gaffes, made the interception on top of that.
02:37But I think for the Patriots and this whole us-against-the-world mentality, and nobody believes
02:42on us and the schedule's so easy and all of these things, this was kind of, at the very
02:47least, a season-validating win, you know, if they hadn't done that already and going
02:52from four wins to 14.
02:54But I think there were a lot of people out there.
02:55I'm sure you were on the list.
02:57We've talked about it, saying, okay, but who have they beaten, right?
02:59They beat the Bills once in prime time, but what else have they done?
03:02And so you had to beat a good team.
03:04You had to beat a playoff-caliber team to continue your season, show that it wasn't all just
03:09magic fairy dust or something like that.
03:12And Herbert, sure, he's had the hand injury and absolutely a battered offensive line, but
03:16no excuses.
03:17You play the teams that you get, and New England did a nice job.
03:21And for Herbert, it opens up a whole realm of other questions about the fact that he is
03:25now 0-3 in his young playoff career.
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