Date Announced For Patriots Wild Card Game vs. Chargers

After a convincing 38-10 win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 18, the AFC East champion New England Patriots now know when they'll make their postseason debut this winter.

At halftime of the Sunday Night Football game, the NFL announced that the Patriots will play host to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, Jan. 11 at Gillette Stadium. NBC will broadcast the game, with Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth calling the primetime game at 8 p.m.

The game will be the first Patriots playoff game at home since the 2019 season, when now-head coach Mike Vrabel came into Gillette Stadium and ended the Patriots' (and Tom Brady's time in New England).

It will also be the first playoff game in the young career of Drake Maye. The Patriots quarterback put together an MVP season in his first full season as a starter, and will lead his 14-3 team into the marquee matchup of the Wild Card schedule.

"I think we've come a long way," Maye said postgame, "I think it takes everybody. It took everybody in that locker room, took every coach. I think it starts now. This was one of the goals, home playoff games, and this is what we wanted. It's win or go home, and the mentality, nothing changes from that standpoint, but I think we just stay playing like us. We've built this identity and play to it, and I think good things happen."

Jan 4, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel walks on the field after the game against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

The Chargers had a chance to potentially play spoiler in the AFC this week, but decided to bench their banged up quarterback, Justin Herbert, against the Denver Broncos. The Broncos won the game 19-3, and Los Angeles will get ready for a cross-country trip next week. The Patriots aren't new to facing the Chargers, as these two teams matched up in the postseason during the 2018 AFC Divisional -- a convincing win by the Patriots en route to their sixth Super Bowl title.

"We'll get ready and get rolling and try to do what we do every week, which is prepare and figure out who we have available and what we feel like the keys are going to be and try to practice and be ready to go," Vrabel said. "That's all we've done all year, and that's all we'll be able to do this week in the playoffs."

The rest of the NFL Wild Card schedule is as follows:

Jan. 10

4:30 p.m. -- No. 5 Los Angeles Rams at No. 4 Carolina Panthers (FOX)

8 p.m. -- No. 7 Green Bay Packers at No. 2 Chicago Bears (Amazon Prime)

Jan. 11

1 p.m. -- No. 6 Buffalo Bills at No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars (CBS)

4:30 p.m. -- No. 6 San Francisco 49ers at No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles (FOX)

8 p.m. -- No. 7 Los Angeles Chargers at No. 2 New England Patriots (NBC)

Jan. 12

8 p.m. -- No. 5 Houston Texans at No. 4 Baltimore Ravens/Pittsburgh Steelers (ESPN)

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