New England Patriots will host Los Angeles Chargers in opening round of NFL playoffs

The regular season is over, and now the New England Patriots know who they will face in the playoffs. With the AFC playoff seeding solidified following Sunday’s action, the Patriots know they will open the postseason at home against the Los Angeles Chargers.

New England, the AFC East champions, head into the playoffs as the No. 2 seed. They pulled away from the Miami Dolphins to close out the season on Sunday, earning a 38-10 win.

The Chargers, meanwhile, will head to Foxboro as the No. 7 seed in the AFC. Los Angeles went 11-6 on the year and finished second in the AFC West behind Denver. The Chargers ended their season Sunday playing their backups and lost to the Broncos.

With the win, Denver earned the No. 1 seed and a bye thanks to a tiebreaker over the Patriots.

Which day and time the game takes place is expected to be announced Sunday night.

Patriots vs. Chargers

Things were quite different for the Patriots the last time they played the Chargers.

Los Angeles came to Gillette Stadium on December 28, 2024 and left with a 40-7 win. The win improved the Chargers to 10-6 on the year, while the Patriots dropped to 3-13 on the year.

Drake Maye was 12 for 22 with a touchdown on the day, and rushed for 32 yards. Justin Herbert, meanwhile, found the end zone three times and passed for 281 yards.

A week later, the Patriots won their season finale behind backup quarterback Joe Milton. After the game, first-year head coach Jerod Mayo was fired, setting the stage for the hiring of Mike Vrabel that has quickly turned the franchise around.

This year’s matchup will be a showdown between two of the elite quarterbacks in the league as Maye has turned into an MVP candidate. The Chargers have looked like a Super Bowl contender at times under head coach Jim Harbaugh, but have also been slowed by problems with their offensive line.

After sitting out Week 18, Herbert ended the regular season with 3,277 yards, 26 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Herbert underwent surgery on his non-throwing hand in early December, but did not miss any time.