Bill Belichick gives unfiltered take on Patriots-Chargers playoff matchup

The New England Patriots are currently gearing up for their playoff game on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Patriots are coming off a highly successful regular season in which they won the AFC East for the first time in six years, with Drake Maye emerging as one of the frontrunners for the league MVP award in the process.

Recently, former Patriots and current North Carolina Tarheels head coach Bill Belichick weighed in on the matchup between Los Angeles and New England this week.

“What’s the quarterback situation with Herbert? Broken hand and all, that’s definitely been a factor. They’ve had some injuries on the offensive line,” said Belichick, per Mike Reiss of ESPN on X, formerly Twitter, via SiriusXM NFL Radio and “Let’s Go” with Jim Gray.

“If the Chargers have to play from behind, and pass block and try to protect and throw the ball 35, 40 times, I think they’re going to be in a lot of trouble,” he added.

“If they can play from ahead, get control of the game, make it a tight game; they certainly have the defense — and if they have enough of a running game … I think they would certainly have a chance,” he clarified.

Overall, the Chargers haven’t exactly been a model of consistency this year, losing some puzzling contests in 2025. However, their biggest weakness–their offensive line play–is not necessarily something that the Patriots are best suited to exploit, considering that the pass rush was one of the few areas in which New England struggled this year.

Still, if Maye and the offense are able to keep clicking, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Patriots advance to the divisional round for the first time since they won the Super Bowl back in the 2018 season.

The Patriots and Chargers are set to kick off on Sunday at 8:20 pm ET.

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