Overview
- On the Let’s Go! podcast, Bill Belichick said Los Angeles has a chance but warned the Chargers would be "in a lot of trouble" if forced to throw 35–40 times.
- Justin Herbert’s fractured hand and surgery, plus season-ending losses of tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, fuel protection concerns after 29 line combinations and roughly 60 sacks.
- New England arrives as the AFC No. 2 seed under first-year coach Mike Vrabel, with Drake Maye delivering an MVP-caliber season in the team’s first postseason without Belichick since 1998.
- The Chargers rested starters in a 19–3 Week 18 loss to Denver to lock in the No. 7 seed, and Herbert sat out the finale after posting five touchdowns and three interceptions over his previous four starts.
- NBC’s Devin McCourty said both sides like the matchup, with kickoff scheduled for Sunday night around 8 p.m. ET in Foxborough.