5 Final Thoughts Ahead of Chargers-Patriots in Wild Card Round

Jan 09, 2026 at 08:35 PM

Eric Smith

Editorial Director

The Chargers have drawn the New England Patriots in the Wild Card Round of the 2025 NFL playoffs.

Kickoff is at 5 p.m. (PT) from New England.

The Chargers-Patriots betting line shows the Bolts are slight underdogs for Sunday.

Here are five final thoughts ahead of the Wild Card Round.

1. It's Wild Card Weekend

Welcome to the playoffs.

The Chargers and Patriots are set for a postseason tilt Sunday night in New England.

Jim Harbaugh's squad is the No. 2 seed after going 11-6 while the Patriots are the No. 2 seed in the AFC after winning the AFC East with a 14-3 record.

Harbaugh this week gave an apt description of what postseason football is all about.

"There's going to be bodies flying around, people running around, people are going to [have] their hair on fire," Harbaugh said. "Hit something. Hit somebody, whosever moving. Ask questions later."

He later added: "It's like the coolest chaos of football. Right from the opening kickoff."

The Chargers will be led by quarterback Justin Herbert, whose toughness was the ultimate storyline for the Bolts in 2025.

Herbert sustained a fractured left hand in Week 13 but said Wednesday that resting in the regular-season finale was the right move.

"Not taking hits on it last week was probably pretty helpful for it," Herbert said.

Defensively, the Chargers will be challenged by Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. But Jesse Minter’s defense has full belief they can get the job done on the road.

"Just how together we are and how much love and trust there is among our group," Minter said. "We feel like we're capable walking in anywhere and winning."

The Chargers went to the playoffs last year but were one and done. Those who were on that team know they don't want to feel the same disappointed two years in a row.

"Shoot, we're all just trying to survive another week. We know what is at stake. It's a one-game season and we're approaching it like that," Ladd McConkey said.

Can the Chargers be only the second No. 7 seed to win since the NFL expanded the playoff field in 2020?

We'll find out Sunday night.

"We have a lot of confidence. Who wants to go into the playoffs with no confidence?," Daiyan Henley said. "We have the thought to go all the way, but we also have the thought to win this weekend.

"We don't want to be a team that's afraid to say that, you don't want to be a team that lacks that confidence," Henley added. "You want to be able to play like it."

Harbaugh said: "[It's the] ultra-competitive season … put up or shut up time."

Herbert and Khalil Mack, two players looking for their first career postseason win, echoed that sentiment.

"You've got to do everything you can to win them," Herbert said. "That's where we want to be at this time of year … playing meaningful football.

"We're in a position to be in a position, like Coach says," Herbert added. "It's a great opportunity for us."

Mack added: "It's either win or go home. I don't know what else you need."

2. Is the Chargers O-line ready?

The Chargers started 10 different offensive line combinations in front of Herbert in the 16 games the quarterback started in 2025.

As the playoffs arrive, the Bolts are hoping to rely on a configuration they used coming out of the bye week … and one that produced a pair of wins.

The Chargers will roll out, from left to right, the group of Jamaree Salyer, Zion Johnson, Bradley Bozeman, Mekhi Becton and Trey Pipkins III. Salyer has missed the past two games with a hamstring injury but is off the injury report for Sunday night.

"I feel good," Salyer said. "The training staff did a really good job of getting me to a place where I feel really good.

"Things went well at practice so we'll progress through this week and see how it goes," Salyer added.

That starting five was the lineup in Weeks 13 and 14 when the Chargers earned back-to-back wins over the Raiders and Eagles.

"I feel really good about that group," Chargers Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman said. "The communication has been great this week, too, they're asking all the right questions when it comes to what we're doing. They're really dialed in."

"I got trust in everyone that's in our room," Bozeman said.

As mentioned above, the Bolts started double-digit combinations in front of Herbert after Rashawn Slater was lost for the season in training camp and Joe Alt suffered an ankle injury that sidelined him for the year in Week 9.

Was it an ideal year for the offensive line? Of course not.

But the unit is now hoping that having seven linemen start at least five games in 2025 means all the shuffling was worth it.

"It's unfortunate that you have to go through it but it's good for us at the same time," Herbert said. "Adversity is part of the NFL and you're going to deal with injuries.

"But to have a group of guys that you're able to throw in certain spots here and there, those guys don't miss a beat," Herbert added.

Pipkins said: "You don't want to throw away all the lessons you've learned throughout the season, but all of that stuff doesn't matter anymore. I feel really good about it. No matter who we have in there, I trust the guys to do their job. But with this group, we're in a good spot and have a good gameplan."

The Patriots finished tied for 21st in the NFL with five other teams with 35.0 total sacks.

New England didn't have a player reach double digits but were led by Harold Landry (8.5) and K'Lavon Chaisson (7.5).

But the Patriots defense also finished 10^th in pressure rate (38.3), according to Pro Football Focus, and also led the NFL with a 61-percent stunt rate on third downs.

Don't think the Bolts are taking this group lightly.

"A very good team, you can tell they are well coached," Pipkins said. "Always in the right gap and they play well together.

"It's going to be a good challenge and we've got to go out there and do what we're supposed to do," Pipkins added.

Bozeman said: "You got to be on it with your sets. You have to be on it with everything you do as an offensive line. Staying together and getting it picked up."