The New England Patriots are advancing to the next round of the NFL playoffs after successfully taking down Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers in an AFC Wild Card Round matchup at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough to the tune of a 16-3 score.
The Pats essentially ended the contest and bagged the victory when defensive tackle Milton Williams sacked Herbert on a 4th-and-9 at New England’s 34 with just two minutes left in the fourth quarter.
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Williams was a one-man wrecking machine all game long for the Patriots, and that sack on Herbert was the cherry on top of his incredible evening.
The 26-year-old Williams had three total tackles, two sacks and two quarterback hits against the Chargers, who couldn’t solve New England’s ferocious defense. Herbert was repeatedly crushed in the pocket by the Patriots. He passed for just 159 yards with zero touchdowns on 19-of-31 pass completions, while getting sacked six times for a loss of 39 yards.
Herbert also fumbled twice and lost one of them, as Williams and the Patriots’ stop unit kept up their relentless pressure from start to finish.
One 49er who’s excited to share the field with the Seahawks again is wide receiver Jauan Jennings, who played a key role in San Francisco’s victory over the Eagles.
Williams knows what it takes to win in the playoffs and raise the Vince Lombardi Trophy. His experience and action speak for themselves, as he won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2024 NFL campaign before he signed a four-year, $104 million contract with the Patriots.
That huge investment in the former Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football star seemed all worth it for the Patriots on Sunday, with Williams playing such a huge role in silencing the Chargers’ Justin Herbert-led attack.
Williams had 3.5 sacks and 29 combined tackles in 12 games in the 2025 NFL regular season.