Patriots playoff schedule: NFL sets wild-card matchup with Chargers for primetime

6 days ago 2

FOXBOROUGH – The Patriots have a time and a place for their first playoff game since the 2021 season.

Following their blowout win over the Miami Dolphins, the Patriots locked into the AFC’s No. 2 seed and will take on the Los Angeles Chargers on primetime in the wild-card round. The NFL announced that the Patriots and Chargers will occupy the 8 p.m. slot on Sunday, Jan. 11. Their game will air on NBC and Peacock.

This marks the Patriots’ fifth primetime game of the 2025 NFL season.

The NFL’s wild card weekend will have games played on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

On Saturday, Jan. 10, the Los Angeles Rams take on the Carolina Panthers at 4:30 p.m., and then the Green Bay Packers play the Chicago Bears at 8 p.m.

On Sunday, the NFL will have three games played. The Buffalo Bills take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 1 p.m. slot. The San Francisco 49ers take on the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles at 4:30 p.m.

On Monday, Jan. 12, the Houston Texans will face the winner of the Pittsburgh Steelers-Baltimore Ravens matchup.

After finishing with 14 wins, the Patriots tied an NFL record for the best turnaround in NFL history with a 10-game difference. They tie the 1999 Indianapolis Colts and the 2008 Dolphins.

After the game, Mike Vrabel was asked what it meant for him to have such a good season in his first year as head coach in New England.

“It means we are the second seed and we’re going to host the Chargers, and we start over,” Vrabel said. “The only wins that matter are going to be the ones that we can get moving forward.”

For the Patriots, that path starts next Sunday at 8 p.m.