The Patriots' defensive performance in their Wild Card matchup with the Chargers was an unexpected highlight of their win. Although they have some star power on that side of the ball, they have been a mostly inconsistent group this season, primarily due to the number of injuries they suffered, so they needed to play at a high level in this game now that they were at their healthiest.
It is now expected they will maintain that level of productivity going into their next game against the Texans, and they'll certainly need it. And because of that, Mike Vrabel and Co.