The New England Patriots are an NFL team based out of Foxboro, Massachusetts. Over the last 20 years, the Patriots have dominated the league due to their quarterback, Tom Brady. Tom Brady has already won 5 Super Bowls for the Patriots, but can he win another?

The Patriots earned themselves a first round bye which meant that they did not have to play in the wild card round. Instead, they must face the Los Angeles Chargers led by quarterback Philip Rivers during the divisional round of playoffs. The Chargers went 12-4 defeating arguably the best team in the league, the Kansas City Chiefs. The Patriots, who have a very similar record of 11-5, also beat the Chiefs. In the past, every single time Tom Brady has played against the Chargers, he has won. In fact, Brady holds a record of 7-0 against them. This important game is going to take place at Gillette Stadium, the Patriots home field, clearly an advantage for the Patriots. Also, forecasters predict snow at game time which will give another advantage to Brady who has far more experience playing in snowy conditions than Rivers. The ace up Philip River’s sleeve, however, is an all star wide receiver named Keenan Allen. Although Allen missed all of last season due to a torn ACL, he has bounced back and is having a great season with 1,200 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Overall, in terms of positions, the Chargers have a better defense than the Patriots, with their pass rush consisting of players, Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa. The bright spot in the Patriots’ defense is cornerback, Stephon Gilmore, who made the All-Pro1st team. The Chargers’ defense has played better this year letting up 20 points per game while the Patriots’ defense let up 23 points per game. However, the Patriots defense has been hot recently in the last 3 games, letting up an average of only 10 points per game.

In terms of coaching, the Patriots have one of the best head coaches of all time, Bill Belichick. Belichick, who is widely respected in the league, has coached every single game of Tom Brady’s incredible career. Head coach, Anthony Lynn, has been with the Chargers since 2017. He recently ranked in the bottom half of all head coaches in a poll done by nfl. This, however, may be unfair since Lynn has only been on the job for one year. In terms of experience, the Patriots clearly have the advantage on Sunday with Belichick on the side lines. Besides Belichick, the Patriots also have a very good offensive coordinator in Josh McDaniels, who has had multiple head coaching offers over the last 2 seasons, and is considered one of the best.   

Overall, the Patriots seemingly have the clear advantage in the upcoming game against the Chargers on Sunday. Not only do they have home field advantage, but it is supposed to snow and Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels will be calling the shots. It is football, however, and anything can happen in a football game.