New England Patriots
“Tough, gritty, physical, smart, fast. They kind of like to hit like he liked to hit.”
Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers will take on the Patriots on Sunday. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh is expecting a physical matchup on Sunday night when his team takes on the Patriots at Gillette Stadium.
Speaking on Monday afternoon, Harbaugh said that New England’s identity as a team revolves around far more than just Drake Maye’s playmaking capabilities.
Rather, Harbaugh acknowledged that New England’s intensity, scrappy approach, and attention to detail are the things that first jump out to him when reviewing Patriots tape.
It’s the type of identity that doesn’t come as much of a surprise to Harbaugh, who noted that New England’s current team plays a whole lot like their head coach — Mike Vrabel — did during his NFL career.
“His teams play like he played,” Harbaugh said of Vrabel Monday afternoon. “I do notice that. Tough, gritty, physical, smart, fast. They kind of like to hit like he liked to hit. That’s what I’ve noticed.”
Harbaugh has some history of matching up against Vrabel before the latter took up coaching. During Harbaugh’s final years as an NFL QB, Vrabel was just starting his pro career as a linebacker for the Steelers — where he played from 1997-2000 before thriving in New England for eight seasons.
Harbaugh and the Chargers last faced off against New England last season, with Los Angeles going into Gillette Stadium and beating a Jerod-Mayo-coached team, 40-7, in the penultimate game of the 2024 campaign.
Harbaugh doesn’t expect the same lopsided result on Sunday night.
“The most important categories they’re top five, top 10 — Points per game, run defense,” Harbaugh said. “It’s not a lot of takeaways, that’s not in the top 10, but it’s really good, sound. Able to play a 3-4 team that can play as an 4-3 team, a 4-3 team that can go to a five-man line.
“Hallmarks in their coverages, which they play really well. They play the single-high, split-safety, all really good, effective. Very downhill, very physical, very good tacklers. Really sound,” he added. “Player driven, they put players in position to be successful. They do a great job with that. Long list of things that they do well.”
The buy-in put forth by New England’s revamped roster under Vrabel has been evident. But, Harbaugh was also candid when asked about the headaches that New England presents on the field when Maye is extending plays and torching secondaries with deep throws down the field.
“Just really effective in every part of the quarterback play,” Harbaugh said of Maye. “Throwing with accuracy, throwing outside the numbers, deep, in the middle, athleticism, poise, toughness, durability… A great year for him by any quarterback standard.”
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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