When: Saturday, 10 a.m. PT
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.
TV/radio: NFL Network/98.7 FM; 105.5 FM, 94.3 FM (Spanish)
Line: Chargers by 4.5 points
Chargers: OUT: RB Gus Edwards (ankle), LB Denzel Perryman (groin), RG Trey Pipkins III (hip). QUESTIONABLE: RB J.K. Dobbins (knee), TE Will Dissly (shoulder), TE Hayden Hurst (illness), DB Elijah Molden (knee).
Patriots: OUT: CB Marcus Jones (hip). QUESTIONABLE: C Ben Brown (concussion), S Kyle Dugger (ankle/quadriceps), LB Curtis Jacobs (concussion), LB Anfernee Jennings (knee), LB Titus Leo (ankle), S Jabrill Peppers (hamstring), OL Cole Strange (knee), LB Sione Takitaki (knee), LB Jahlani Tavai (groin), T Caedan Wallace (ankle).
What’s at stake: The Chargers can clinch an AFC wild-card berth with a victory or a tie against the Patriots. They can also advance to the playoffs if the Miami Dolphins lose or tie in their game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday and the Indianapolis Colts lose or tie in their game against the New York Giants on Sunday. The Patriots have lost five consecutive, but it might make their season if they could knock off the Chargers and put an end to their losing streak.
Who’s better: This one is a no-brainer on paper, but the oddsmakers are expecting a tight game. The Chargers want to handle their business and clinch a playoff berth without having to wait an extra week to do it against the Raiders in Las Vegas. In fact, the Chargers would like to make their Week 18 game against Las Vegas as meaningless as possible – no offense to the Raiders, of course.
Matchup to watch: Did the Chargers’ defense get its mojo back during the second half of their 34-27 victory over the Denver Broncos on Dec. 19? If so, then it could be a long afternoon for Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye. The Chargers have had trouble containing mobile quarterbacks, though, and Maye is another in a long list that includes Bo Nix of the Broncos, Baker Mayfield of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, just to name a few recent opponents. Maye has completed 67.6% of his passes for 2,159 yards with 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Chargers win if: The Chargers’ sense of urgency was apparent during the second half of their victory over the Broncos. They sensed what was at stake after a rocky start to the game, when they trailed 21-10 at one point, and rose to the occasion late in the game. With an advantage in talent and experience at many positions, the Chargers would be wise to win the mental game against the Patriots.
Fantasy sleeper: Running back J.K. Dobbins would have likely topped 1,000 yards rushing by now if not for a knee injury that sent him to injured reserve and sidelined him for four games. He’s likely to be activated for Saturday’s game against the Patriots with a chance to pad his figures with two games to play. He rushed for 766 yards and eight touchdowns on 158 carries before he was injured in the first half of the Chargers’ loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 25.
Prediction: If the Chargers treat this game as need-to-win as opposed to want-to-win, then they should be in fine shape against a team that’s going nowhere except on vacation after Week 18. This will be the Chargers’ first cold-weather game of the season, but not likely their last if they advance to the postseason so this is another chance to tune-up for what’s to come. Chargers 21, Patriots 10.
