Chargers rookie running back Omarion Hampton intends to play in Sunday night's AFC Wild Card game vs. Patriots

Patriots QB Drake Maye could be the 2025-26 NFL MVP, and he'll face a banged-up Justin Herbert and a Chargers team without its top two tackles on the offensive line. However, Los Angeles does have a better defense than New England. Will it be enough to upset the Patriots?

Now Herbert is seeking his very first playoff win. Both of his previous postseason losses came on the road in the Wild Card Round. The Chargers fell 32-12 to the Texans last year, and in 2022, they lost 31-30 to the Jaguars after blowing a 27-0 lead.

The seventh-seeded Los Angeles Chargers battle the second-seeded New England Patriots on Sunday night at 8 p.m. EST. The Chargers finished the season 11-6, second in the AFC West

Preview the Wild Card Round matchup between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Chargers with predictions, odds, over/under, spread, betting lines and more.

The New England Patriots enter the Wild Card Round facing the Los Angeles Chargers, a team built to test them in multiple areas. In a win-or-go-home scenario, there is little margin for error. Advantages in matchups and execution could decide who advances.

If the Los Angeles Chargers want to grab their first playoff win in the Jim Harbaugh era, they'll need to go through the New England Patriots first. In what's shaping up to be an electric Wild Card weekend slate of games,