The New England Patriots just secured a major playoff victory against the Los Angeles Chargers with a score of 16-3, marking their first postseason win in seven years. The energy of Sunday’s win was undeniable, especially after veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs delivered a fiery motivational speech to his teammates. He urged the group to play with aggression and to look out for one another.

“Hey, be violent, man!” the veteran wide receiver said, as captured by the Patriots’ in-house media team. “Be smart, but when in doubt, crash the (expletive) out. It’s us vs. them, man. Ain’t nobody like us. Ain’t nobody believe in us. I like us, man. Go lay in on the line for your brother, man,” Diggs said.

Following their latest win, the Patriots are now the No. 2 seed in the AFC. The team has officially defied the low expectations set for them at the start of the year. This success is a massive turnaround for a franchise that won only four games last season. Early in the year, doubling that win total seemed like a stretch, but now the team has advanced to the postseason with an impressive 14-3 record. When asked by the media for his choice of speech before the game, Stefon Diggs said,

“I don’t think nobody really liked us. Nobody, well, believed in us,” Diggs said. “We were a young team. We got a young quarterback, and throughout the season, we just grew. We grew together. And as we’ve had this success, everybody’s been humbled, everybody’s been unselfish, and everybody just wants to win.” He said.

While many experts favored opponents like the Chargers to dominate the postseason, the Patriots proved that internal motivation is often more powerful than outside predictions. With this latest win, the Patriots are now just two games away from a potential Super Bowl appearance. While they are now ranked as one of the top teams in the AFC, they haven’t forgotten the “underdog” feeling that got them here. 

That being said, the team now only needs to level up as they face some of the toughest NFL teams this season.

Patriots QB wasn’t very pleased with the team’s win

The New England Patriots dominated the Los Angeles Chargers with a huge win, but quarterback Drake Maye wasn’t satisfied. Even though his team came out on top, Maye walked off the field focused more on his mistakes than the final score. He looked at the victory calmly, making it clear that while winning is the goal, his own performance wasn’t up to his standards.

Right after the game, Maye was honest about his struggles. “I didn’t throw very well tonight,” he told the media.

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 “I need to be better. We did what we had to do, and that’s what it takes in the playoffs. And just proud of this team. That was fun; that was fun to get one at home, and look forward to be back here next week.”

It was a busy and complicated night for the young quarterback. Maye completed 17 of 29 passes for 268 yards, throwing one touchdown but also giving up an interception and a lost fumble. His first half was particularly difficult, as he completed only 40% of his throws—his worst performance in a single half all season.

However, Maye did find ways to hurt the Chargers using his legs, running 10 times for a solid 66 yards. Despite those gains, his ball security remained a problem. He fumbled twice during the game; one was recovered by his teammate Jared Wilson, but the other resulted in a turnover that shifted the momentum toward the Chargers.

Knowing he didn’t play his best game, Maye made sure to thank the rest of the roster for having his back. “It wasn’t my best, but that’s why you have teammates,” he admitted. “Those guys picked me up.”

With this win, the 15-3 Patriots are moving on. They will stay home next Sunday to host the winner of the game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Houston Texans.