They found dead ends in red zone

Running back Michael Turner and the Chargers ran into some stiff opposition yesterday. (Barry Chin/Globe Staff)

FOXBOROUGH - In a joyous on-field celebration following yesterday's AFC Championship game, linebacker Tedy Bruschi was embracing Bill Belichick. Even then, Belichick still found the time to offer some analysis.

"When you hug your coach after you've won the AFC Championship and the first thing he said was 'great job in the red area', you know it was important," Bruschi said.

The red area, or red zone as it is more widely referred in NFL circles, was indeed the key to the Patriots' 21-12 victory over the Chargers yesterday.

San Diego had three trips inside the 20-yard line. All three ended in field goals. Even more painful for the Chargers, or impressive for the Patriots depending on the point of view, was that each drive stalled inside the 10.

Teams that settle for 3 points instead of 6 generally don't have much of a chance in the NFL, especially against the Patriots.

Yet yesterday was different, because New England's normally potent offense never truly hit its stride. That's why the defensive effort was crucial, as outside linebacker Mike Vrabel felt the performance was reflective of "the Patriots of old, making the big plays when it counted."

"All year we were either giving up touchdowns or we were playing great, there was no in between, and I think you saw the great tonight," Vrabel said.

Players and coaches provided different reasons for the success in the red zone.

Belichick felt the effort was a result of the players rising up in the critical moments, winning the one-on one-battles. Certainly, that was part of it.

On the other hand, Vrabel credited the coaches for making the right calls, both during the game and in the week of preparation. Vrabel cited one example to support this thinking, saying players knew that if there was a running back offset in the backfield, he would be running a wheel route, which is exactly what happened.

"The coaching staff really had a good grasp on what they were trying to do, and we'd see a formation, and we'd be able to check into something and get the right play called," he explained.

The red-zone defense got its first test late in the first quarter, when the game was scoreless and the Chargers advanced to the 9.

On first down, running back Michael Turner was stuffed up the middle, gaining just 1 yard as defensive linemen Richard Seymour and Vince Wilfork teamed up on the tackle. After an incomplete pass to Lorenzo Neal, receiver Chris Chambers was ruled out of bounds after making a catch in the back of the end zone under the goal posts.

One of the keys to the Patriots' red-zone stop was first down. When the defense struggled in the red zone for much of the regular season, part of the problem was the inability to stop the run.

The next challenge came early in the second quarter, the Chargers again advancing to the 9. On first down, Turner was stopped on a rush for a 1-yard gain, with Wilfork and Ty Warren sharing the tackle. Again, locking down in the running game was big.

On second down, Bruschi delivered a clutch play in pass coverage, batting the ball away from tight end Antonio Gates. Bruschi explained he made an adjustment as he was initially double-covering Gates with linebacker Junior Seau, but when Seau rushed the quarterback, Bruschi had to reposition himself.

Then on third down, quarterback Philip Rivers delivered a short pass to Chambers to the left side, but cornerback Ellis Hobbs came in low to make a decisive tackle.

"All I was thinking is that he can't move without those legs," Hobbs said. "I knew he wasn't going to see me coming and I just shot at those legs."

The final red-zone stop came early in the third quarter, the Chargers setting up at the 13. San Diego went to the air on first down, with Rivers hitting Vincent Jackson for 6 yards on a short pass to the left side. A 3-yard run by Turner followed, setting up third and 1 from the 4.

The Patriots called on their goal-line defense with extra defensive linemen, and Turner was stuffed for a 2-yard loss over left tackle as Seau burst through the hole to make the stop.

Players felt the coaching staff was instrumental in that result, making the correct "out route charge" defensive call.

"The call that was made was one that could shoot the gap," Seau said. "I don't know if he called it because he knew I was going to shoot it any way, or he called it because he felt something, but it was a great call."

The red zone had dogged the Patriots all season, the defense ranking 27th out of the league's 32 teams by surrendering 24 touchdowns in 41 trips.

Safety Rodney Harrison explained that because the field is condensed inside the 20, a different style of defense is required inside the red zone. He felt the biggest difference yesterday was that players simply did their job without trying to do too much.

"It's trusting in your fellow teammate," he said. "We'd watch film and see four guys doing their job and one guy doing his own thing, and you can't have that with the type of defense that we play, which is assignment oriented."

The red-zone defense came through yesterday when it counted.

"They were just better than us down there," Rivers said.

Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com.