The Los Angeles Chargers clinched a playoff berth in head coach Jim Harbaugh’s first season, beating the New England Patriots 40-7 on Saturday.
The Kansas City Chiefs have already won the AFC West, so the Chargers will make the playoffs as a Wild Card team.
The Chargers started out red-hot, going up 17-0 before the Patriots finally responded.
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Quarterback Justin Herbert hit wide receiver Derius Davis with a strike, connecting with him for a 23-yard touchdown. On their ensuing offensive possession, kicker Cameron Dicker hit a 27-yard field goal to put the Chargers up 10-0.
Following the field goal, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye couldn’t convert the pitch to the running back, and the fumble was recovered by safety Derwin James Jr. to give the Chargers good field position at midfield.
Herbert capitalized on the good field position and hit rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey for a six-yard touchdown to go up 17-0.
While the Chargers took a commanding lead, Maye left the sidelines temporarily in the first quarter to be checked for a concussion.
The Patriots rookie quarterback was scrambling, trying to convert a third-and-four along the sideline when Chargers defensive back Cam Hart hit Maye up high, where there was helmet-to-helmet contact.
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Maye fumbled the ball upon being hit, but the Patriots recovered it.
After the hit, Maye stayed down for a moment before eventually getting up.
He was initially evaluated in the blue medical tent, and then was taken to the locker room, where he was then cleared to return to play.
The lone Patriots highlight of the game came when Maye got the Chargers to jump offside, then with pressure in his face, threw a 36-yard dime to wide receiver Demario Douglas for a touchdown.
The touchdown cut the Chargers' lead to 17-7, but those would be the only points the Patriots would score all day.
Herbert led the Chargers' offense down and gave Dicker a chance for a field goal before halftime.
Dicker was good from 38 yards out, and the Chargers took a 20-7 halftime lead.
The Chargers kept their foot on the gas, coming out of the second half.
The Patriots got the ball first coming out of the half but went three and out.
Then Herbert led a 10-play, 94-yard scoring drive, capped off by a Ladd McConkey 40-yard touchdown catch, to put the Chargers up 27-7, and effectively sealed the game in the third quarter.
Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins scored a touchdown in his return from injury in the fourth quarter.
Herbert was sensational in the win, completing 26-38 passing attempts for 284 yards and three touchdowns. The quarterback was pulled with over ten minutes left in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach.
McConkey passed Keenan Allen for the most catches for a rookie in a season in Chargers history, with eight receptions for 94 yards and two touchdowns.
This was the first time the Chargers scored 40 points in a game since 2021.
Maye was 12 of 22, with 117 yards and one touchdown, with six carries for 32 yards in the loss.
The last time the Chargers were in the playoffs was the 2022-2023 season, when they had one of the biggest collapses in NFL history when they lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars 31-30 after leading 27-0 at one point.
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