The Los Angeles Chargers didn’t go all out to beat the Denver Broncos in their Week 18 regular season finale Sunday afternoon.
Starting quarterback Justin Herbert, No. 1 running back Omarion Hampton and other starters did not play.
The Chargers were defeated by the Broncos 19-3 and fell to the No. 7 seed as a result, which set up an AFC Wild Card Round playoff matchup against the No. 2 seed New England Patriots next Sunday at Gillette Stadium (8 p.m. ET, NBC).
What can Patriots fans expect of the Chargers when they travel all the way to the East Coast seeking their first playoff win since the 2018 campaign?
“This is a physical football team. They’re a big football team,” Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said Monday on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show when asked about the Chargers. “Big linemen. They have a big defensive lineman who plays fullback.
“The defense is good. They play a very good style of football. Defensively, they make it hard on you, a bunch of different mixed quarters coverages. The quarterback is as good as anybody. He can scramble, he’s tough, can make the throws. He’s got big receivers. It’ll be a big challenge to get going on these guys, learn who they are and try to put a plan together.”
Vrabel went into more detail on the Chargers during his Monday press conference with reporters.
“I will just tell you that they play great defense. They’re very sound,” Vrabel explained. “They’re good tacklers. They’re physical. They get off the field on third down. They’re good in the red zone. They run the football. It’s a physical football team. They possess the football. They lead the NFL in time of possession. They have very good quarterback play. They’re well coached. They play with technique and fundamentals.
“The game, it doesn’t – they don’t panic one way or the other. They kind of stick to their game plan, wear you down and execute in critical situations. So, a lot of respect for them and certainly what they’ve done in a short amount of time.”
The Chargers defense is very good. This unit ranked No. 5 in pass yards allowed (179.9), No. 5 in opposing QB completion percentage (60.8), No. 3 in interceptions (19), No. 5 in third-down defense (35.2 percent) and No. 9 in points allowed (20.0).
And like most Jim Harbaugh-coached teams, the Chargers are big, tough and like to establish the run game. If the Patriots can stop the run and force Justin Herbert to drop back and throw more than he’d like, that’s a recipe for success because the Chargers have arguably the worst offensive line in the NFL.
Most playoff games are won at the line of scrimmage, and this Patriots-Chargers matchup should be no different.
