On a day that the Patriots offense was subpar, the Patriots’ bruising defense helped demolish the Los Angeles Chargers in a 16-3 win as they move on to the Divisional round. In fact, the Patriots’ defense was so bruising that Mike Vrabel, head coach of the Patriots, was bloody at the end of the game after Milton Williams   accidently nicked him on the lip with his helmet when the two men did a celebratory hug.

Last season for the New England Patriots was another forgettable season. No buy in or energy by this team that only won a couple of games last season. It led to the firing of first year coach Jerod Mayo and the hiring of Mike Vrabel. The results of that decision have exceeded expectations so far as the Patriots have an 8-2 record as of this writing. Vrabel’s hiring has reenergized a team that has not felt this way since the Tom Brady era.