Patriots opponent set for Wild Card round of NFL playoffs

The New England Patriots are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2021. They will have a chance to win their first playoff game since their Super Bowl title in 2018.

With Sunday's results, this playoff run will begin (almost) the same way that one did. After beating the Miami Dolphins and locking up the No. 2 seed, the Patriots will host the Los Angeles Chargers on Wild Card Weekend (they had a bye and hosted the Chargers divisional weekend that year). It's the Patriots' first meeting with the Chargers since a 40-7 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium in Week 17 of last season.

Los Angeles fell to the No. 7 seed earlier in the day with a loss to the Denver Broncos and the Buffalo Bills win over the New York Jets. That loss came as the Chargers benched quarterback Justin Herbert and other starters.

With that loss the Chargers finished the regular season 11-6, and are back in the playoffs for the second year in a row (the first time the organization has done so since a four-year run from 2006-2009). They've lost their last three playoff games, with their last postseason win coming in the Wild Card round in that 2018 season.

Offensively the Chargers are led by Herbert and a supporting cast highlighted by receivers Keenan Allen and Ladd McConkey, and rookie running back Omarion Hampton - a college teammate of Drake Maye. However the unit is dealing with multiple injuries, especially along the offensive line.

Meanwhile, the Chargers' defense was a top-10 unit in scoring this season. They've been particlarly dominat against the pass and have forced 23 turnovers.

On both sides of the ball the Chargers are a strong third down team. Coming into Week 18 they ranked third on offense converting at a 46.8% clip, and sixth on defense converting at a 35.3% clip.

"We’ll get ready and get rolling. Try to do what we do every week," head coach Mike Vrabel said postgame when asked about facing the Chargers. "That’s all we’ve done all year. All that we'll be able to do this week in the playoffs."

Now, it's just a matter of when that game will be played. The NFL is expected to release the full playoff schedule at some point Sunday night. The full AFC seeding is...

1. Denver Broncos
2. New England Patriots
3. Jacksonville Jaguars
4. Winner of Ravens/Steelers on Sunday Night Football
5. Houston Texans
6. Buffalo Bills
7. Los Angeles Chargers