The Aftermath: Defense delivers ‘championship-caliber’ effort in Patriots’ wild-card win

NBC Sports Boston

12 January 2026

Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry break down the Patriots’ 16–3 wild-card win over the Chargers. They discuss the defense’s incredible performance, Drake Maye’s showing in his first playoff game and which opponent New England might hope to face in the divisional round. 00:00 - Takeaways from the win  15:00 - How was Drake Maye's night?  24:00 - Do you have concerns about the Patriots offensive line?  30:00 - Which opponent gives the Patriots a better chance to get to the AFC championship? WATCH every episode of the Patriots Talk podcast on YouTube Follow NBC Sports Boston: NBCSportsBoston.comX @NBCSpatriotsFacebookInstagramTikTok Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.