Devin McCourty: Chargers rested starters because they ‘wanted’ Patriots in playoffs

New England Patriots

“The Patriots don’t have a great pass rush, the Chargers are a little weak up front, I think they like that matchup.”

With their shot at winning the AFC West no longer on the table last weekend, Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers opted to rest their starters in Week 18 against the Denver Broncos — headlined by star QB Justin Herbert.

The rationale was sound, given that Los Angeles had little to play for on the road against a top-seeded Denver team, coupled with the fact that an extra week of rest would benefit a QB like Herbert who underwent a surgical procedure on his non-throwing hand just a month ago. 

As such, the Chargers fell to the Broncos, 19-3, locking Denver into the No. 1 seed in the AFC and setting themselves up for a Wild-Card matchup against the Patriots on Sunday night at Gillette Stadium. 

Speaking on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” broadcast, former Patriots safety Devin McCourty said that there was more to the Chargers’ decision to throw away a Week 18 game than just rest some of their top players. 

“I think the Chargers not playing their guys [Sunday], I think they wanted to go to New England and play against this Patriots team,” the three-time Super Bowl champion said. “The Patriots don’t have a great pass rush, the Chargers are a little weak up front, I think they like that matchup.”

A first-round matchup against the Chargers stands as an easier bout for New England than a potential playoff meeting with Josh Allen and the Bills — or an elite Houston Texans defense. 

Still, the Patriots aren’t necessarily equipped to exploit Los Angeles’ greatest flaw this season: their porous offensive line. 

After losing both of their franchise tackles in Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt this season due to injury, Los Angeles’ O-line has taken on water this season, routinely putting Herbert under duress. 

The Chargers entered Week 18 with a league-worst pass block win rate of 54 percent, per ESPN, while Herbert was sacked 54 times in 2025. 

New England does have some pass-rushers who could feast on Sunday night against L.A.’s poor pass protection. But, New England’s defense isn’t exactly bolstered by a potent pass rush. Only six teams posted fewer than the 35.0 sacks the Patriots generated in 2025. 

While a hefty portion of New England’s gameplan on Sunday will revolve around getting after Herbert and flushing him out of the pocket, Mike Vrabel cautioned on Monday morning that the Chargers are a well-rounded opponent that could make life miserable for the Patriots in a variety of ways. 

“I will just tell you that they play great defense,” Vrabel said Monday morning. “They’re very sound. They’re good tacklers. They’re physical. They get off the field on third down. They’re good in the red zone. They run the football. It’s a physical football team. They possess the football. They lead the NFL in time of possession.

“They have very good quarterback play. They’re well coached. They play with technique and fundamentals. The game, it doesn’t — they don’t panic one way or the other. They kind of stick to their game plan, wear you down and execute in critical situations. So, a lot of respect for them and certainly what they’ve done in a short amount of time.”

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.