EL SEGUNDO (CNS) – The Chargers will face the New England Patriots in an AFC wild-card round game Sunday night in Foxborough, Massachusetts, seeking their first playoff victory since the 2018 season.
The Chargers entered Sunday’s play as the No. 6 seed in the AFC, but dropped to seventh following a 19-3 loss at Denver when they rested several starters, including quarterback Justin Herbert, completing the regular season 11-6.
The Patriots entered Sunday’s play assured of their first AFC East championship since 2019, Tom Brady’s last season as their quarterback. They defeated the Miami Dolphins, 38-10, Sunday in Foxborough, completing the regular season 14-3.
New England matched the Broncos for the conference’s best record, but got the No. 2 seed because Denver had the better record in common games, 6-0, to the Patriots’ 5-1.
Since defeating the Baltimore Ravens, 23-17, in a wild-card round game on Jan. 6, 2019, the Chargers lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Patriots, 41-28, in a divisional round game on Jan. 13, 2019; 31-30 to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Jan. 14, 2023, in a wild-card round game they led 27-0, in the second quarter and 30-14 with 2:58 left in the third; and 32-12 to the Houston Texans on Jan. 11, 2025.
New England has not won a postseason game since defeating the Rams, 13- 3, in Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3, 2019, losing wild-card round playoff games to the Tennessee Titans, 20-13, on Jan 4, 2020, and Buffalo Bills, 47-17, Jan. 15, 2022.
The Patriots missed the playoffs each of the past three seasons. They were 8-9 in 2022, and 4-13 in both 2023 and 2024.
Oddsmakers have made the Patriots a 3- to 3 1/2-point favorite.
The 5 p.m. Pacific Standard Time game will be televised by NBC and can be heard on KFI-AM 640.
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