Patriots playoff picture: New England to play Chargers in Wild Card round of NFL playoffs

New England Patriots

The Patriots will host a playoff game at Gillette Stadium for the first time since the 2019 season.

FOXBOROUGH — The New England Patriots will host their first playoff game at Gillette Stadium since the 2019 season next week.

After beating the Dolphins, 38-10, in their regular-season finale on Sunday evening, the Patriots secured the No. 2 seed in the AFC and will host the No. 7 Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs next Sunday.

Kick-off from Gillette Stadium is set for 8 p.m., with Sunday’s postseason matchup to be broadcast on NBC.

While New England already secured a playoff berth and the AFC East in back-to-back weeks, Mike Vrabel and the Patriots still had plenty to play for on Sunday. 

New England needed a win against Miami to secure that No. 2 seed in the AFC — guaranteeing home-field advantage up through the AFC Championship Game.  

Had they lost to the Dolphins, the Patriots would have dropped to the No. 3 seed after the Jaguars beat the Titans earlier on Sunday afternoon, which would have resulted in a first-round meeting against the Bills. 

The Patriots had a chance to leapfrog the Broncos and secure the No. 1 seed (and a first-round bye) after beating Miami. But, the Patriots also needed the Broncos to lose to the Chargers on Sunday evening to make that happen. 

That scenario was already looking grim entering the final week of the NFL regular season, especially with Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh announcing last week that the team intended to rest star QB Justin Herbert instead of playing him in Week 18 against Denver. 

The Chargers ultimately fell to the Broncos, 19-3, on Sunday, locking Denver into that No. 1 seed. 

Even though New England would have welcomed a first-round bye — and home-field advantage all the way through the AFC title game — a first-round showdown against the Chargers still stands as a solid matchup.

The Chargers (11-6) will be a tough test for New England, but the Patriots were able to avoid a first-round matchup against Josh Allen and the Bills — who would present a daunting test at the start of a promising playoff run. 

Even with Herbert under center, the Chargers’ offense has been largely average this season, due in large part to a porous offensive line. Playing without their two starting tackles in Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater for most of the year, the Chargers entered Week 18 with the second-worst pressure rate in the NFL at 42.3 percent. 

However, Los Angeles’ defense figures to be a tough out. Entering Week 18,  opposing quarterbacks have logged a league-worst 74.8 passer rating against the Chargers this season — although New England might boast the ideal trump card in Drake Maye. 

“We’ll get ready and get rolling,” Vrabel said postgame of preparing for the Chargers. “Try to do what we do every week… That’s all we’ve done all year. All that we’ll be able to do this week in the playoffs.”

AFC playoff matchups

Here’s a look at the playoff matchups in the AFC.

No. 1 Broncos: BYE 

No. 2 Patriots vs. No. 7 Chargers  – Sunday, Jan. 11, 8 p.m. (NBC)

No. 3 Jaguars vs. No. 6 Bills – Sunday, Jan. 11, 1 p.m. (CBS)

 No. 4 Steelers vs. No. 5 Texans – Monday, Jan. 12, 8 p.m. (ESPN)

NFC playoff matchups

The NFC playoff picture is also set, with the Seahawks earning the bye week as the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

No. 1 Seahawks: BYE

No. 2 Bears vs. No. 7 Packers – Saturday, Jan. 10, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)

No. 3 Eagles vs. No. 6 49ers – Sunday, Jan. 11, 4:30 p.m. (FOX)

No. 4 Panthers vs. No. 5 Rams – Saturday, Jan. 10, 4:30 p.m. (FOX)

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.