The Chargers and Patriots cap off an NFL Wild Card Round triple-header on Sunday Night Football. Los Angeles and New England kick off at 8:00 p.m. ET, and the playoff bout can be viewed on NBC and Peacock.
The Patriots went from 4-13 in 2024 to 14-3 and AFC East champions this season, while the 11-6 Chargers earned a wild card spot for the third time in the last four years.
Below, we'll break down our Sunday Night Football pick and Chargers and Patriots over/under prediction for Wild Card Weekend, weaving in PrizePicks Team Picks data to consider.
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Chargers vs. Patriots Preview, Spread, Over/Under
The Chargers and Patriots previously met in Week 17 of last season, a 40-7 L.A. win.
The two teams have clashed three times in the postseason, with New England winning twice.
Chargers vs. Patriots Over/Under, Spread
The Patriots enter the wild card contest as 3.5-point favorites, returning a 1.47x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
The Chargers are road underdogs with a 2.5x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
- Spread: New England Patriots -3.5
- Over/Under: 45.5
- Game Winner Payout: Chargers 2.5x | Patriots 1.47x
Team Picks data is live as of the time of writing and is subject to change.
Chargers vs. Patriots Prediction on Over/Under
The Patriots, one of the top "over" teams, face the Chargers, one of the top "under" squads of the season. Sunday's projected game total is set at 45.5, the third-highest of Wild Card Weekend.
New England is hosting a home playoff game for the first time since Tom Brady left following the 2019 wild card loss. The Patriots' high-powered offense now matches up against a Chargers defense that's one of the NFL's best.
Los Angeles Chargers Preview vs. Patriots
- The Chargers have played 11 of their 17 games to the tune of the under, tied for the third-most in the NFL.
- Seven of the last eight Chargers games have gone under the listed total. One over was 45, just below this week’s total.
- Eleven of the Chargers' 17 games stayed under 46 points, with the highest-scoring one being a 29-27 affair vs. Miami.
- Los Angeles’ defense is ninth in the NFL, allowing 20.0 PPG. They're also fifth in yards, allowing just 285.2 per game.
- On the offensive side, the Chargers are 20th in scoring, averaging a subpar 21.6 PPG.
New England Patriots Preview vs. Chargers
- The Patriots have gone to the over in 11 games, tied for the second-most.
- Each of the last five games and nine of the last 11 went over the projected total for New England.
- With totals at 45.5 or higher this year, the Patriots reached the over in five of eight instances.
- The Patriots are second in the NFL in scoring offense at 28.8 PPG and third in total offense at 379.4 YPG.
- Defensively, New England is fourth in scoring (18.8 PPG) and eighth in yards (295.2 YPG).
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Make Chargers vs. Patriots WIld Card Picks on PrizePicks
Can the Patriots continue their surprise season and host another playoff game next weekend, or will the Chargers get over the hump and win a playoff game for the first time since drafting Justin Herbert? On Wild Card Weekend, there's no better place to join the action than PrizePicks.
You can make Chargers vs. Patriots picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money. Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and cash in if you’re correct. With Team Picks, make predictions on winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 30 states.
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