After finishing in last place in the AFC East with a record of 4-13 last season, Mike Vrabel has quickly flipped the script in his first campaign as head coach of the New England Patriots, leading them to a record of 13-4 and the No. 2 seed in the conference this season.
However, the Patriots haven't been tested all that much, given they played a last-place schedule. So, this will arguably be their toughest test of the year, as Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers visit Foxborough on Wild Card Weekend.
Let's get into the opening Chargers vs Patriots odds for the NFL Wild Card Round of the playoffs next weekend.
Chargers vs Patriots Odds
| Chargers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3.5 -110 | 45.5 -110o / -110u | +170 |
| Patriots Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3.5 -110 | 45.5 -110o / -110u | -200 |
Wild Card odds as of Monday at 12:12 a.m. ET.
Chargers vs Patriots Wild Card Preview
Los Angeles Chargers
It’s two straight playoff berths for the Chargers under Jim Harbaugh, and the formula is similar to last year.
Jesse Minter’s defense is the bedrock of the team, ranking top 10 in fewest points allowed, and the offense is entirely on Justin Herbert’s shoulders.
Herbert doesn’t get much help. LA’s offensive line is a huge problem, and near the bottom of the league in virtually every metric – pressure rate, sacks allowed, pass block win rate, it’s all bad.
The Chargers don’t have much of a rushing attack either, though the return of rookie Omarion Hampton does help some. Mostly, it’s just Herbert needing to create magic with precious little time, and while playing through injury.
Still, Herbert has played at an MVP level for much of the season, and a week off for this injury-beleaguered team should go a long way. Herbert will need to be at his best for the Chargers to make any sort of run.
New England Patriots
Drake Maye is the odds-on favorite to win MVP, and he leads the Patriots back into the playoffs and into a new era as AFC East division champions.
New England’s downfield passing attack has been a revelation, leading the league in explosive pass rate at nearly one every five attempts, and the rushing attack has been inconsistent, but explosive with rookie TreVeyon Henderson doing his part.
New England has benefited from one of the softest schedules in recent history, easiest against both offenses and defenses by DVOA, and the Patriots were just 3-2 against teams that entered the final weekend with postseason dreams, with only two of those against teams locked into the playoffs.
This team has been great, but is largely untested, and the defense remains pretty suspect. The run defense was awful down the stretch, but should get a boost with the return of Milton Williams, and the passing defense was better late, but needs to hold its ground.
Still, this is Maye’s team, and the Patriots will go as far as their MVP takes them.
