"Although they were favored in the eyes of bettors, there weren't many who felt super confident with the Patriots' chances of leaving Wild Card Weekend the winners of their first playoff game in four seasons. Part of that was because they were set to face the Chargers, who have playoff experience, but the toughness and resiliency of New England showed up on the field on Sunday night, single-handedly earning them the win."
"Other than just not dealing with a blowout loss well, since they only scored three points all night, much of the frustration likely stems from the ongoing narrative that the Patriots aren't a legitimate playoff team, as many have chalked up their wins as the result of an easy schedule."
"Odafe Oweh: "I feel like we're a better team. And Any other day, we beat them. We just ain't have it today, so that's the more annoying part." Oweh is an unrestricted free agent but said he wants to be in L.A. He had three sacks today, a single game postseason franchise record. - Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) January 12, 2026"
Patriots overcame doubts and beat the Chargers in the Wild Card Round, ending a four-season drought without a playoff win. New England displayed toughness and resiliency, overcoming an opponent with recent postseason experience to earn a decisive victory. Chargers players reacted angrily in postgame comments, scoring only three points and lamenting the result. Much of the Chargers' frustration centers on a narrative that Patriots' success stems from an easy schedule rather than team quality. Defensive end Odafe Oweh publicly claimed the Chargers are the better team and that any other night they would have won.
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