New England Patriots: 3 keys to beating L.A. Chargers in Divisional Round

1 of 3

New England Patriots Tom Brady (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots have a battle on their hands against Phillip Rivers and the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Divisional Round matchup is set, your New England Patriots welcome the Los Angeles Chargers into Gillette Stadium this Sunday. Kickoff is at 1:05 pm as the winner advances to the AFC Championship Game.

With Wild Card Weekend complete , it is officially Chargers week. The Chargers (12-4) are one of the hottest teams in the NFL, especially on the road. Outside of Los Angeles, they are 8-0 on the road, with their lone loss coming at the hands of the Rams in the LA Coliseum in week 15.

The Patriots are 8-0 at home and are rested coming off the bye thanks to the No. 2 seed in the AFC. The Pats will have a tough task at hand Sunday, as the Chargers should give them a game.

1. Protect Tom Brady

Probably the most important task for the New England Patriots week in and week out, you must keep the Quarterback upright. The blue-print to defeating Tom Brady and the Patriots has always been getting pressure and making him uncomfortable in the pocket.

The Chargers have 38 sacks on the season, as their defensive front is led by Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa. These two guys are an absolute force in the trenches.

The Chargers’ defense has had 16 sacks in their last 5 games, including 7 this past week against Baltimore. The pressure up front has also allowed the secondary to compile 13 interceptions. The LA defense has allowed 228 passing yards per game.

Brady will need his weapons to step up in this game, as he might not have a lot of time in the pocket to throw, meaning quick passes to Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski, and James White could be the game plan.

Home/New England Patriots