Patriots' Three Keys to Victory vs. Chargers

The New England Patriots are on the verge of hosting their first playoff game in over six years vs. the Los Angeles Chargers.

This matchup marks the NFL Wild Card Round, with the date and time of kickoff for the postseason game between the Patriots (14-3) and the Chargers (11-6) being Jan. 11, 8:00 p.m. EST. The Patriots will ride into this game with their latest 38-10 victory over the Miami Dolphins giving them their first 14-win campaign since 2016 and the 10-win jump from last season.

New England and the Chargers additionally previously faced off in the postseason during the 2018 AFC Divisional, which ended up being a dominant win from New England en route to an eventual sixth Super Bowl title.

The Patriots will look to prove they are ready to compete for Super Bowl LX after winning the division and hosting a home playoff game for the first time since 2019.

Here are three key notes for fans to pay attention to for the Wild Card matchup.

3. The 'First Postseason Game' Factor

Dec 28, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel during the first quarter of the game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

While he has coached five playoff games as the Tennessee Titans head coach, head coach Mike Vrabel will be coaching his first postseason game with New England.

Under Vrabel, the Patriots will also see 23-year-old quarterback Drake Maye play his first league playoff game. It also marks the first postseason game cornerback Christian Gonzalez, left tackle Will Campbell among other players acquired during the former three-year playoff drought.

2. Exploiting a Depleted Chargers' Offensive Line

The Chargers lost Pro Bowl tackles Joe Alt (ankle) and Rashawn Slater (knee) for the season and have since been last in pass-blocking win rate (54%) and 31st in run-blocking win rate (69%).

Quarterback Justin Herbert is playing for Los Angeles with a broken bone in his non-throwing hand and is easily considered a QB star in the league. Should the Patriots want to transition their dominance from the regular-season into the postseason, shutting down Herbert and exposing the weaknesses in the offensive line will be key.

1. Drake Maye's MVP Race Update

On Jan. 10, the Associated Press announced the All-Pro teams with Rams' QB Matthew Stafford being named to the first team over Maye (who was named as a second-team All Pro). Stafford beat out Maye by 13 votes, marking it as the first time in his career that he has made the first-team All-Pro squad.

There have only been three instances where the MVP winner was not named to the first team at his respective positions.

Maye completed 72% of his passes for 4,394 yards with 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions while also rushing for 450 yards and four touchdowns. At 23, Maye also led the NFL in completion percentage.

At this point and because of this latest nod to Stafford, a statement Wild Card win with a dominant performance from Maye is a must.

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