Patriots Reporter Explains How Team Could Lose To ‘Most Likely’ Playoff Opponent
The New England Patriots will finally know by Sunday night if they earned the AFC’s No. 1 seed for the playoffs and a first-round bye.
Barring a Denver Broncos loss and New England win in Week 18, the Patriots will be hosting one of four teams during wild-card weekend.
It appears that New England has the best chance of welcoming the Los Angeles Chargers to town for the first-round and if that’s the case, many believe it’d be the easiest of the possible wild-card matchups.
Patriots reporter Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald broke down how New England could defeat Los Angeles in the postseason, but also how the group could suffer an upset.
“The Chargers’ offensive line is an injured mess, allowing run stuffs on almost 23% of rushing plays and ranking second-worst at pass-blocking over at Pro Football Focus,” Callahan wrote. “It could become a one-dimensional game fast for LA, which also has an imbalanced, so-so pass rush.”
The Chargers face the Broncos on Sunday and will be resting Pro Bowl quarterback Justin Herbert in the contest.
“Hebert is making superhuman plays with his cannon arm and a greater willingness to scramble. He has the fourth-lowest turnover-worthy play percentage among quarterbacks at PFF. He spreads the ball around, targeting three receivers with 700-plus receiving yards; meaning Christian Gonzalez can’t eliminate their passing game by taking out one obvious threat,” the columnist said, explaining how Los Angeles could defeat the Patriots. “Defensively, the Chargers own the NFL’s best deep-ball defense by DVOA. They’re also good in coverage, well-coached and boast one of the NFL’s best kickers.”
Los Angeles beat New England 40-7 in Week 17 last season at Gillette Stadium during the groups’ last meeting.