After the Chiefs and Rams secured their spots in the AFC/NFC championship game, 2 more teams will be looking to join them. Will it be the Patriots joining the Chiefs? Or perhaps the Chargers? Will it be the Saints joining the Rams? Or perhaps the Eagles? The Chargers play @ the Patriots at 1:05pm on CBS and the Eagles play @ the Saints at 4:40pm on FOX. Today, I will be previewing the Chargers vs Patriots...Enjoy!
Chargers: After beating the Ravens last week, the Chargers head into Foxborough feeling very confident when playing on the road. The Chargers avenged their loss to the Ravens in Week 16 of the NFL Regular Season. They held Lamar Jackson to under 60 yards rushing and the team to under 100. Jackson also threw a pick in the game. Rivers had a decent day last week going 22/32 for 160 yards and no TD or INT. In fact, no one on the team picked up a TD. Badgley made 5/6 FGs om the day to lead the team in scoring. The Chargers defense played well. Per ESPN, they recorded 7 sacks on the day, 2 fumbles recovered, and a INT. The Chargers should continue this momentum heading into their game vs the Patriots. The Patriots have looked worse than their record shows, as playing in a weak divsion explains half of the wins. The Chargers should have the advantage here, but the Patriots are stellar at home in the playoffs. We'll see who has the edge in the end.
Patriots: After clinching the #2 seed, the Patriots were able to get a bye in the Wildcard round. Having rested an extra week, the Patriots' players might have more energy then the Chargers. That said, the Patriots have not looked great overall as a team this year. Questionable losses and a dysfunctional team leave the Patriots at a 11-5 record heading into this game. Gronkowski has had one of his worst years as a TE, and the Patriots have not been able to soley rely on Tom Brady as they have in years past. Per ESPN, the running game has been a pleasant suprise as they have rushed for 2037 yards on only 478 carries averaging 4.3 yards per rush. Tom Brady has thrown for 4355 yards with 29 TD and 11 INT. Sony Michel rushed for almost 1000 yards on the season in 109 attempts. The Patriots are heading into this game on a slight limp, and we'll see if this prevents them from showing America fully what they are capable of. The Patriots will have to rely on the run game a little more than usual which is not the type of playstyle Bellichick likes to play. If the Patriots can get out to a fast start, they might have an edge in this game.
Prediction: Chargers 23 Patriots 16
I think that with the amount of confidence the Chargers have had on the road recently and with the Offensive/Deffensive firepower they have, the Chargers should be able to win this game. The most crucial part is whether the Patriots can keep the Chargers out of the endzone because the Ravens were almost able to come back last week. If the Chargers can have a lead or keep it close for most of the game, they should be able to win in the end.
https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/patriots/pats-chargers-5-things-know-andor-ignore-week
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