New England Patriots: Divisional Round matchup a balance of history

Historically, the New England Patriots are nearly unbeatable at home in the playoffs, but is this matchup going to stay on par?

The New England Patriots will begin postseason play Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium. All week, we have heard about how great the Los Angeles Chargers play on the road, and actually, for good reason.

Philip Rivers and Co. are undefeated this season outside the state of California. In fact, they have won in Denver, Pittsburgh, and Seattle – some of the hardest places to play in the entire NFL.

But what we haven’t heard, is just how dominant the Patriots have been in Foxboro.

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This season, New England is undefeated at Gillette Stadium, outscoring opponents 33-17 with 430 yards per game on average.

In contrast, the Chargers are only outscoring opponents 27-20 on the road with just 365 yards per game on average.

So while Los Angeles does excel on the road, New England is even better at home. Further, Tom Brady is 115-19 all time at home, with just three of the nineteen losses coming in the playoffs.

But despite all these facts, there are still some question marks about the New England Patriots in this game.

Including: Is the offense going to score enough points? Can Rob Gronkowski get involved? Will this be the end of the dynasty?

These are valid concerns. There is no denying that this New England Patriots team does not feel as good as years before. It used to be that they’d win because they were the better team, not because they necessarily had home-field advantage or some other handicap.

Now, whether or not the Patriots are truly the better team isn’t necessarily a given. Unlike the Texans in 2012 or the Titans last season, this Divisional Round game will likely not be a lay up.

That being said, I personally can’t pick against the Patriots at home in the Divisional Round. I picked the Kansas City Chiefs in 2015 and the Baltimore Ravens in 2014 and I could not have been more wrong.

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While those were way more talented Patriots teams, both opponents played tough at Gillette. More often than not, New England wills their way to victory in these games and that’s what I believe will happen again.

Prediction: New England Patriots 24, Los Angeles Chargers 21.

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