For the final of three playoff games in the Wild Card Round on Sunday, the Los Angeles Chargers will face off against the New England Patriots.
The Chargers finished the season with an 11-6 record, which rewarded them with the seventh seed in the AFC playoff picture. The team is led by head coach Jim Harbaugh, who is in his second season with the team after a successful stint with the University of Michigan. Offensively, the team is led by veteran quarterback Justin Herbert.
Compared to the Chargers, the Patriots finished the season with a record of 13-4, which earned them the second seed in the AFC playoff picture. The team is coached by Mike Vrabel, who is in his first season back as a head coach since the Tennessee Titans surprisingly fired him. However, sophomore quarterback Drake Maye has been the biggest story for the Patriots, who are sure to be a finalist for the NFL MVP Award and have a fair crack at winning it.
Los Angeles Chargers at New England Patriots
Game Details
Date: Sunday, January 11, 2026
Time: 8:15Â p.m. EST
Location:Â Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
How to Watch
TV: NBC
Streaming:Â NBC Sports, Peacock, NFL+, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV
Radio: ALT 98.7 and 570 AM (Chargers Radio Network),98.5 The Sports Hub (Patriots Radio Network), Westwood One Radio, SiriusXM App
Broadcast Team
Mike Tirico (Play-By-Play), Chris Collinsworth (Color Analyst), Melissa Stark (Sideline Reporter)
Betting
Spread:Â -3.5 Patriots
Total:Â O/U 45.5
Moneyline:Â Patriots -198, Chargers +166
How Both Teams Have Performed This Season
Despite making the playoffs, the Chargers did not perform well offensively this season, according to PFSN’s Offense Impact Metric, which measures offensive performance. The team ranked 27th in OFFi with an impact score of 67.4 and a letter grade of D+. Herbert ranked 11th in PFSN’s QB Impact Metric with an impact score of 79.6 and a letter grade of C+, but they have one of the worst offensive lines in the league. In PFSN’s Team Offense Impact Metric, the Chargers ranked 30th with an impact score of 58.8 and a letter grade of F.
The team’s defense was much more sound. In PFSN’s Defense Impact Metric rankings, the team ranked eighth in the league with an impact score of 82.9 and a letter grade of B-.
The Patriots are a dominant offensive force, considering they rank second in PFSN’s Offense Impact Metric. The unit has an impact score of 86.6, which equates to a letter grade of B. Maye is the reason why the offense is so successful, as he took a significant step up from his rookie season. He ranks second in QBi with an impact score of 91.1 and a letter grade of A-.
The Patriots aren’t as strong defensively, but they’re still among the top half of the league in this regard. They rank 12th with an impact score of 78.2, which equals a letter grade of C+.
