"Despite going on a 10-game win streak and finishing the regular season with a 14-3 record, which earned them the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs, nearly everyone outside New England was not jumping on the Patriots bandwagon ahead of their wild-card game, with most analysts still doubting their legitimacy as a Super Bowl contender. That seemingly fueled a team like the Chargers to rest their starters in Week 18 in hopes of playing the Patriots in the first round."
"The Chargers look to have done that by resting most of their starters in their season finale game against the Broncos, who locked up the No. 1 seed with the win. LA could have easily burst that bubble by actually being competitive, but instead appeared so focused on their goal of playing New England that they didn't care about anything else."
"The Chargers got what they wished for and traveled to Foxborough for the wild-card round, assuming that they were going to be their easiest competition to keep their path open for the Super Bowl, but they got a lot more than they bargained for on Sunday night, making their plan completely backfire in the most brutal way possible. Perhaps the Patriots knew about it and that gave them the boost."
New England finished the regular season 14-3 after a 10-game win streak and earned the No. 2 AFC seed despite widespread doubts about its Super Bowl prospects. The Chargers rested most starters in Week 18 to try to face the Patriots in the wild-card round, and the Bills' matchup dynamics reinforced that outcome. Los Angeles traveled to Foxborough expecting an easier path, but the plan backfired as New England upset the Chargers. The Patriots' defense played some of its best football, shutting down Justin Herbert and thwarting Los Angeles' strategy, leaving the Chargers to regret the Week 18 decision.
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