The New England Patriots are back? In year one with Mike Vrabel and the first iteration of the team believing in Drake Maye, the New England Patriots nearly rose to the top of the AFC and will host the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild card round of the NFL playoffs. They nearly earned the No. 1 seed, but lost the tiebreaker to the Denver Broncos. Be that as it may, the Patriots enter the postseason as one of the hottest teams in the AFC.
This is a game that could easily come down to the wire, or see the Chargers get taken out of the game before it even gets to halftime. The Chargers have struggled in the playoffs, losing in the wild card round in each of the last two playoff appearances. There’s nothing about this team that makes you think they’ll be good enough to get out of the wildcard round this year, either. Here are some bold predictions ahead of the Patriots vs. Chargers wildcard game, which kicks off on Sunday night.
The LA Chargers will be blown out by halftime
This is a strong take, but one I feel like isn’t farfetched. The New England Patriots have been one of the league's most dominant teams this year. And before you slander them by throwing their schedule around, they still had to win those games. This was a team that had the No. 4 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Now they’re set for a Washington Commanders-esque playoff run. Without the Cincinnati Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs, they immediately become my favorites for a deep playoff run.
That’s why they’re going to jump all over the Chargers and be relentless from start to finish. The Chargers have been an odd team, hampered by injuries and inconsistency. That will once again mar them in the postseason and give them a third loss in the wild card round since the 2022 season.
Drake Maye put together an MVP-worthy season. Though Jesse Minter has fielded a top five defense, per Pro Football Reference, this just feels like the game Maye will prove he deserves to be in the conversation as the future generation of NFL quarterbacks.
TreVeyon Henderson will have a big game against strong LA run defense
It’s been a breakout rookie season for TreVeyon Henderson, who has nearly 1,000 rushing yards this year. It’s not that he’s been torching teams 100-yard games, it’s that he’s consistent. He only has two games with over 100 rushing yards, but since Week 8 he’s ran for at least 50 yards in every game except for one.
That type of consistency is why he will have a big game. The Chargers are giving up 4.3 rushing yards per attempt, 105 rushing yards per game and just about one rushing touchdown per game. Those numbers may not sound elite, but it’s good enough for top 10 in the NFL. Henderson will have his work cut out for him, but expect him to make a difference.
Justin Herbert's playoff woes will continue to haunt him in this year’s postseason
The LA Chargers are hopeful this is the year Justin Herbert eliminates the playoff struggles. His first playoff appearance in 2022, the loss wasn’t much his fault as it was the Jacksonville Jaguars pulling off the improbable. Last year, however, his four interceptions were the sole reason the Chargers couldn’t get past the Houston Texans.
Unfortunately, he won’t shake those problems this year either. The Patriots have a solid defense and, again, it feels like the Patriots are going to get up early and the Chargers will be chasing. Part of the reason they’ll be chasing is because Herbert’s struggles will hold LA back.
This year could be the year he bounces back, but I wouldn’t bank on it. Some of Herbert’s worst games have been in his two playoff appearances. Sure it won’t last forever, but it won’t end in the 2025 playoffs either.