The Chargers travel to face the Patriots in the wild-card round of the AFC playoffs.
To get prepared for the game, here are five things to know about Los Angeles’ opponent.
How the regular season went
The Patriots finished 14-3, winning the AFC East and securing the No. 2 seed. Under head coach Mike Vrabel, this marks a massive improvement from recent years for the Patriots, including their first playoff appearance since 2021 and first home playoff game since 2019.
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Drake Maye’s MVP-caliber season
Second-year quarterback Drake Maye is the frontrunner for NFL MVP after a season in which he led the league in completion percentage (72.0%) and passer rating (113.5). Maye threw for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns, and just eight interceptions. He’s also got it done on the ground, as he rushed for 450 yards and four scores.
Good ground game
Along with having a prolific passer, New England boasts a solid rushing attack between running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and rookie TreVeyon Henderson. The Patriots rank fifth in rushing touchdowns (22) and sixth in rushing yards per game (128.9). Henderson ranks seventh among all backs in yards per carry (5.1).
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Impressive defense
The Patriots’ defense finished the regular season in the top 10 in numerous key statistical categories, most notably scoring (4th), total yards (8th), rushing yards (6th) and passing yards (9th).
Solid defense but…
Their pass rush is nothing to write home about. The Patriots finished with a 64.2 pass rush grade (19th) and 35 sacks (21st). This bodes well for a Chargers offensive line that’s undoubtedly the weakest unit on the team.
This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: Key things to know about Chargers’ wild-card opponent: Patriots