Mike Vrabel gives his first breakdown of the Chargers ahead of Patriots Wild Card matchup

With the NFL regular season wrapping up on Sunday the playoffs are underway. It took until Week 18 to get all of the seeds lined up, but we now know that the New England Patriots will be hosting the Los Angeles Chargers on Wild Card Weekend.

In his postgame press conference on Sunday night head coach Mike Vrabel didn't have much to say on the Chargers, as they'd been locked in as the Patriots' opponent just minutes earlier. About 12 hours later Vrabel took the podium for his weekly Monday morning press conference. This time, he had a more complete breakdown of a Chargers team he says is "built for the postseason."

"They play great defense. They're very sound. They're good tacklers. They're physical. They get off the field on third down. They're good in the red zone," Vrabel said. "They run the football. It's a physical football team. They possess the football. They lead the NFL in time of possession. They have very good quarterback play. They're well coached. They play with technique and fundamentals. The game, it doesn't – they don't panic one way or the other. They kind of stick to their game plan, wear you down and execute in critical situations. So, a lot of respect for them and certainly what they've done in a short amount of time."

As Vrabel noted highlighting LA's defense first, The Patriots' offense versus the Chargers' defense is likely the highlight of this one. Los Angeles finished the season ranked ninth in scoring defensively allowing 20 points per game, while the Patriots' offense ranked second scoring 28.8 points per game.

The Chargers were especially good against the pass, allowing the fifth-fewest passing yards and ninth-fewest yards per attempt at 5.6. Their 19 interceptions rank third, and their 45 sacks tied for 10th.

Offensively the Chargers are led by quarterback Justin Herbert, although the supporting cast around him has been impacted by injuries throughout the year. That's especially true up front, as he's been pressured on 43.3% of his drop backs this season per NextGen Stats. No qualifying quarterback in the NFL has been pressured more, with Jacoby Brissett of the Arizona Cardinals the only other quarterback over 40%.

Vrabel's point about the way the Chargers manage possession also looms large, especially against a Patriots defense that has struggled to get off the field at times. The Chargers control possession by being a strong situational team.

While they don't lead the NFL in time of possession, they do rank second holding the ball for 32:32 per game (but that was skewed by lopsided numbers for them and the first-place Bills in Week 18, with Buffalo having the ball for 38 minutes in the finale to LA's 26). They can stay on the field on offense, and get off the field on defense. On offense their 45.8% conversation rate ranks third in the NFL, and their 35.2% opponent conversion rate ranks fifth.

Elsewhere situationally, the defense holds up in the red zone allowing a touchdown on just 46.9% of red zone trips by the opponent. However the offense hasn't been as good in that regard, scoring on just 47.4% of their own drives inside the 20 (29th in the NFL).

We'll hear more from coaches and players about the Chargers as the week goes on. Still, these initial comments from Vrabel give us a good idea on the big picture things the Patriots will be focusing on, and why.