4 reasons Chargers should feel good about facing Patriots in playoffs

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With an NFL wild-card matchup against the Patriots looming from Gillette Stadium, here are four reasons the Chargers should feel good about facing New England on Sunday night.

1. The Patriots were untested in the regular season

Despite winning the AFC East with an impressive 14-3 record, the Patriots were 14-1 against teams with sub-500 winning percentages. This obviously means the team was 0-2 against those with a winning record.

While the top-heavy AFC East division, the NFL scheduling algorithm, and the circumstances each opponent faced undoubtedly aided that stat, the Chargers should still view this as a potential weak spot in their preparation.

In a hilarious but factual stat, New England had the same number of victories against teams with winning records as the 3-14 Las Vegas Raiders. Ironically, one of the Raiders' three wins came against the Patriots in Week 1.

2. Chargers' defense is playing lights out

The Chargers' defense has been playing nearly lights out over the latter half of the regular season, which has been a key reason the franchise qualified for the playoffs this year. While there have been some areas where the team has been burned on broken coverages, the Bolts' high-flying defense has kept them in games against some of the league's elite offenses.

As a bonus, the Bolts will be adding hard-hitting linebacker Denzel Perryman back into the fold as he has finished serving his two-game suspension, which should bolster the physicality of the Chargers' defensive backfield.

3. Proven quarterback play

While Drake Maye has had a spectacular year with New England in his second professional season, the Chargers still have the ultra-competitive Justin Herbert behind center, who can make plays despite being behind a strugglesome offensive line.

Herbert is 0-2 in the NFL playoffs during his tenure with the Bolts, but every season is a new challenge, and his prior playoff experience should be able to fuel the former Oregon product against the Patriots.

4. Best-case scenario for the offensive line

The Chargers' offensive line is undoubtedly the weakest link heading into this game. However, the front five has a relatively favorable matchup against the Patriots' pass rush, which isn't known for getting to the quarterback often. New England posted a 64.2 pass-rush grade during the regular season (19th in the league) and recorded only 35 total sacks, tied for 21st.

This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: 4 reasons Chargers should feel good about facing Patriots in playoffs

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