EL SEGUNDO — The Chargers defeated Patrick Mahomes and the Super Bowl runner-up Kansas City Chiefs twice this season. They needed overtime but they defeated Jalen Hurts and the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. They defeated Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys. Their second-string defense held Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos without a touchdown.
So, judging by their mostly winning results since their bye in Week 12, the Chargers’ defense should be well prepared for the many strengths of New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye going into their AFC wild-card playoff game Sunday night in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Plainly, Maye is not the same baby-faced quarterback they faced last season, when the Chargers handled him and the Patriots with remarkable ease, riding quarterback Justin Herbert’s three touchdown passes to a resounding 40-7 victory on a cold, rainy, raw afternoon in Week 17.
Well, Maye is still baby-faced, but he has also emerged as a leading MVP candidate in his second NFL season. After all, he finished fourth in the league with 4,394 passing yards, completing 72% of his attempts with 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions, leading the Patriots to a 14-3 record.
Clearly, Maye’s resume is thin compared to the other quarterbacks with similar throwing and running abilities, especially Mahomes, Hurts and Prescott, but he has sparked the second-seeded Patriots’ resurgence this season. The seventh-seeded Chargers expect more from Maye than they saw on Dec. 28, 2024.
What’s been the difference between this season and last?
“I wasn’t there, but just individually, the circumstances maybe didn’t work out great with the team (during the 2024 season) and then they ended up changing,” Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said of the hiring of Mike Vrabel as Patriots coach last year.
“Like, now that you’ve done that, now you know what it takes, now you’re put into a really good situation with a guy (Vrabel) who’s been a super-established head coach and one of the most established offensive coordinators in the history of the game (Josh McDaniels, a key factor in the Patriots’ past success).
“So, you put him with those people and you see what his talent is capable of.”
Minter’s scouting report on Maye sounded a great deal like the ones he shared before the Chargers faced the Chiefs, the Eagles, the Cowboys and the Broncos this season. It started with Maye’s versatility while passing while on the move and his willingness to scramble when needed in key situations.
“We’ve always talked about certain guys you’ve got to tackle like a running back,” Minter said. “So, there are things you might do with a less athletic quarterback where you might try to knock the ball down. You’ve really got to tackle this guy like he’s a running back once he’s out in the open field.
“Bo is a lot like that. A lot of these guys we’ve played recently, like Jalen Hurts, have similar qualities to that. Here are the areas he likes to go to. Here’s where we have to be really smart. Here’s where we have got to be really careful. You don’t want to, certainly, let him just run out.
“I feel like those guys (defensive line coach Mike Elston and outside linebackers coach Dylan Roney) have done a great job. Now, we’ve got to execute the plan and at times try to make him make a play and not get out of the pocket and then when he does, tackle him like a running back.”
ON THE MOVE?
Several teams have called the Chargers to ask about interviewing Minter for head coaching positions, Coach Jim Harbaugh said this week. Minter said Thursday his focus was on getting the Chargers prepared to face the Patriots. Teams cannot interview Minter until Jan. 13 at the earliest.
In addition, Chargers assistant general manager Chad Alexander interviewed for the Miami Dolphins’ vacant GM position this week, one of four candidates in the team’s initial round of interviews. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Alexander could hire Minter to be the head coach if Miami hired Alexander.