The vibes were high heading into game time.

Primetime. 8:15 P.M. kick-off. A chilly New England night. The Patriots were hours away from their first playoff game since the 2021 season.

But it was different this time. The Patriots had an MVP candidate quarterback, Drake Maye. Led by former Patriots linebacker-turned-head coach Mike Vrabel, these Patriots finished 14-3 after back-to-back 4-win seasons. They ripped off 10 consecutive wins in the middle of the season. They were 8-0 on the road. 4-0 in primetime.

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But for a brief moment, it felt as though maybe we had been duped – after a ball was tipped into the air and into the hands of a Chargers defender early in the game. It felt like these Patriots might end up being what many believed they were after a soft schedule – a pack of frauds who beat up on bad teams.

But then, the momentum swung right back. The Chargers didn’t capitalize on the mistake. They didn’t take the ball a measly 10 yards for a touchdown. Instead, the Patriots’ defense stopped the Chargers on four plays, forcing a turnover on downs and getting the ball right back.

It was a sign of things to come for the remaining 50 minutes.

The Patriots bullied Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. The walls truly came closing in during the second half. The Patriots sacked him 6 times when it was all said and done. K’Lavon Chaisson and Milton Williams had 2 each. Anfernee Jennings and Marcus Jones had the other 2.

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Up 16-3 with 5:39 to go in the game, it still felt tight, though. A Chargers touchdown would put them right back in it. But this was when the wheels really fell off for the Bolts.

They needed to score, and they needed to do it fast. They no-huddled in what would end up being a 14-play drive. But still, it took time. The Chargers often substituted in between plays. Which, by rule, allowed the Patriots to do the same. The clock ran as the Patriots strategically jogged – at times walked – players on and off the field. The drive would eventually end with a turnover on downs in dramatic fashion – a sack from newcomer Milton Williams.

A 15-yard scamper from running back TreVeyon Henderson sealed it for the Patriots. After that, it was victory formation.

With the win, the Patriots got the monkey off their back. The monkey being a playoff win without Tom Brady at quarterback. At one time viewed as the possible future of the franchise, Mac Jones suited up in the team’s lone 2021 playoff game – just two seasons after Brady’s final year in New England. The Patriots were torn apart by the Bills in that game.

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Several teams that once had an elite quarterback can’t seem to get that monkey off their back, including the Chargers.

Justin Herbert is now 0-3 in the playoffs since entering the league in 2020. Their last playoff win came on the heels of the 2018 season with Bolt legend Philip Rivers under center. They were playing in San Diego then.

The same goes for the Denver Broncos. It could change this weekend, but for now, they haven’t won a playoff game since Peyton Manning was calling signals for their 2015 Super Bowl team. The team they beat, the Carolina Panthers and Cam Newton, haven’t won a playoff game since that same season.

Add the Colts to the list. Andrew Luck was taking snaps the last time Indianapolis won a playoff game. That was seven seasons ago.

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It’s hard to find the guy.

Dan Marino’s final season in the NFL was in 1999, and the Dolphins still haven’t come remotely close to having the guy since then. The Patriots, though, have found their guy. It wasn’t his best game – Drake Maye put the ball on the ground twice, and he was picked off. But he threw for 268 yards and ran for 66. He got it done when it mattered. His lone touchdown pass was a 23-yard beauty to Hunter Henry in the 4th quarter.

Before last night, the Patriots’ last playoff win was over the Rams in Super Bowl LIII in February 2019.

Now, six seasons and 2,536 days later, the Patriots live to fight another week, and it’ll be at Gillette Stadium once again. This time against the Houston Texans with their new guy under center and a chance to punch their ticket to the AFC Championship.

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