FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- In a throwback to their first Super Bowl championship team in the 2001 season -- in which current head coach Mike Vrabel played an integral role as a linebacker -- the New England Patriots leaned on their defense to post a 16-3 win Sunday against the visiting Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round of the AFC playoffs.

The second-seeded Patriots will face the winner of Monday's game between the No. 4 Pittsburgh Steelers and No. 5 Houston Texans on Sunday (time TBD).

The Patriots took advantage of the vulnerable Chargers offensive line, recording six sacks of quarterback Justin Herbert. The Chargers were held to 207 total yards, with only 120 of them coming through the air. Better health was a factor, as this was the first game since Nov. 13 that the Patriots had three of their best players -- defensive tackle Milton Williams, linebacker Robert Spillane and outside linebacker/defensive end Harold Landry III -- in the lineup together.