Patriots stock watch: Here’s who stood out and struggled against the Chargers

New England Patriots

It was a bit of a bizarre game for the Patriots on offense.

FOXBOROUGH — The Sunday night battle between Drake Maye and Justin Herbert wound up being a low-scoring affair, and the momentum swung in the Patriots’ favor during the second half after a lackluster start.

Drake Maye had a pass tipped at the seven-yard line in the first quarter, setting the Chargers up with prime field position, but Los Angeles was unable to capitalize as New England’s defense held up.

The Patriots’ defense showed up again and again, smothering the run, providing tight coverage in the pass game, and occasionally getting home with their pass-rushes.

It was a bit of a bizarre game for the Patriots on offense with Maye finishing as the leading rusher, Rhamondre Stevenson finishing as the leading receiver, and Andy Borregales scoring the bulk of the points.

The special teams unit had a nice night across the board. The Chargers weren’t able to get much in the return game, and Borregales and Bryce Baringer played their roles well.

All in all, it was enough for the Patriots knock off the Chargers and advance to the divisional round. With another round of playoff football set to kick off at Gillette Stadium next week, here’s a look at who stood out and struggled in the wild-card round against Los Angeles.

Stock Up

Rhamondre Stevenson

Stevenson had a so-so day carrying the ball with 10 carries for 53 yards, but he rescued the offense at a time when it’s collective backs were against the wall.

He snagged a short pass from Maye, used a timely block from rookie Kyle Williams, and raced upfield for a 48-yard gain that ultimately sparked a 93-yard drive that set up New England’s first score of the game.

The Patriots just kept chipping away at the Chargers and ended up wearing them down. That drive set the tone, and Stevenson’s contributions as a pass-catcher and pass-blocker helped give the offense the lift that it needed.

Craig Woodson

The rookie safety led the team in tackles during his first playoff game. He picked up a tackle for loss when the Patriots blitzed him off the edge on a run play.

The Chargers weren’t able to get any big plays over the top, and Woodson was able to make a variety of plays while keeping the action in front of him.

Marcus Jones

Jones stood out in multiple ways during this game. He had a huge tackle when Justin Herbert tried to run by him on the first goal line stand. He broke up a deep pass on 3rd-and-7 in the third quarter.

He contributed to the pass-rush, sacking Herbert once. He took a risk trying to return a punt without calling for a fair catch with white Chargers jerseys all around him and held onto the ball.

It wasn’t his strongest game as a returner, but his impact was felt defensively.

K’Lavon Chaisson

One of the big storylines heading into this game was how the Patriots’ pass-rush matched up against the banged up Chargers offensive line. It took Chaisson a while to get going, but once he did, he made some big plays and finished with two sacks.

He got some help from newcomer Leonard Taylor III who dove at Herbert and sent him stumbling. Chaisson chased Herbert down from behind, hitting the quarterback from one side while Elijah Ponder collided from the other. The force knocked the ball free and gave the Patriots the ball back.

He also got to Herbert on a separate play when the quarterback lost his footing. Herbert’s stumbles shouldn’t take away from Chaisson’s success, though. Finishing plays matter, and two sacks show that Chaisson did that.

Milton Williams

Williams had a disruptive impact on the game, as he usually does. Two sacks, two tackles for loss, and a whole lot of contact at the point of attack up front.

He burst through the line and crushed Herbert for a fourth down sack at the two-minute mark in the fourth quarter, effectively ending the game.

His ability to make plays in clutch situations has been enormous for the Patriots this season.

Andy Borregales

Borregales nailed all three of his kicks and his only extra point attempt in his playoff debut, scoring 10 of the Patriots’ 16 points.

Maye’s touchdown pass to Hunter Henry put the Patriots up by 13 and felt like the beginning of the end.

But until then, Borregales was the only one to put the Patriots on the board and his consistency helped them build a slim lead.

Stock Flat

Drake Maye

An uneven performance for Maye in his playoff debut. The interception off the tipped pass almost spotted the Chargers seven early points, but the defense bailed him out. He was strip-sacked in a big spot, but the Patriots were able to withstand it. He was sacked five times and seemed more indecisive than usual facing the pressure that Los Angeles put on his offensive line.

He made big plays with his legs. His 37-yard scramble right before halftime set up the field-goal that gave the Patriots their first lead of the game. He hit Stevenson and Kayshon Boutte for explosive plays of 48 and 42 yards, respectively. The touchdown throw to Henry put the game out of reach.

It was not Maye’s best work, but enough to win.

Carlton Davis

The Patriots’ pass-coverage was exceptionally strong this game. No Chargers receiver had more than 32 yards.

Yet, another defensive pass interference penalty from Davis made him stand out in an unfortunate way. He did have some solid tackling in the open field, and he contributed to the effort that New England’s defensive backs put forth smothering the Los Angeles receivers.

Up-and-down for Davis.

Stock Down

Stefon Diggs

It wasn’t a great day for the Patriots’ pass-catchers in general, but Diggs was uncharacteristically quiet.

He had two catches on five targets for 15 yards. It didn’t seem like his name was called much at all in the second half. He had an early drop that seemed out of character for him.

The entire offensive line

It was a rough day for the Patriots offensive line, which gave up five sacks. Will Campbell had issues on the play that led to the strip sack. Jared Wilson gave up a sack. Maye was under plenty of pressure all night and his athleticism kept things from getting worse.

Khari A. Thompson

Sports Reporter

Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.