Even with the Chargers’ playoff hopes in the air last week, Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley didn’t pay much attention to NFL games on TV during a rare off weekend after a Thursday game against the Denver Broncos.
“It didn’t really matter,” Henley said, “because I’m like, we can’t lose anymore anyway.”
Buoyed by a key win over the Broncos, the Chargers (9-6) need a victory Saturday against the New England Patriots to officially clinch their first postseason berth since 2022. They’re already in the playoff mindset, however, while chasing their third 10-win season in the last 15 years.
Reinforcements could be on the way for the late-season push as cornerback Cam Hart (concussion), running back J.K. Dobbins (knee) and safety Elijah Molden (knee) returned to practice this week. Hart and Molden missed last Thursday’s game while Dobbins has been on injured reserve for a month.
The Patriots (3-12) have lost five consecutive games to fall out of playoff contention, with three losses coming by six or fewer points, including a 24-21 defeat last week to the Buffalo Bills.
Rookie quarterback Drake Maye helped the Patriots take a 14-0 lead over one of the AFC’s top Super Bowl contenders, but the Patriots turned the ball over on their first three drives of the second half, including a lateral pass that bounced off running back Rhamondre Stevenson’s hands and was recovered in the end zone for a Bills touchdown.
Maye has thrown a touchdown pass in seven consecutive games, tied with Jim Plunkett for the longest such streak by a rookie in Patriots history. However, the third-overall pick out of North Carolina also has had at least one pass intercepted in each of those games.
Key injuries
Chargers: RB Gus Edwards (ankle, out); OL Trey Pipkins III (hip, out); LB Denzel Perryman (groin, out), TE Will Dissly (shoulder, questionable); RB J.K. Dobbins (knee, questionable); TE Hayden Hurst (illness, questionable); DB Elijah Molden (knee, questionable).
Patriots: CB Marcus Jones (hip, out); C Ben Brown (concussion, questionable); S Kyle Dugger (ankle/quadricep, questionable); LB Curtis Jacobs (concussion, questionable); LB Anfrenee Jennings (knee, questionable); LB Leo Titus (ankle, questionable); S Jabrill Peppers (hamstring, questionable); OL Cole Strange (knee, questionable); LB Sione Takitaki (knee, questionable); LB Jahlani Tavai (groin, questionable); OT Caesan Wallace (ankle, questionable).
How to watch and listen to Chargers vs. Patriots
The Chargers and Patriots will play at 10 a.m. PST on Saturday at Gillette Stadium. The game will air on CBS in Southern California and nationally on NFL Network. In Southern California, fans can listen to the game on the radio at 98.7 FM or 105.5 AM.
Betting lines for Chargers vs. Patriots
Who will win Chargers vs. Patriots?
Thuc Nhi Nguyen’s pick: The Chargers got past their last major hurdle of the regular season and could coast to 11 wins, a significant triumph for the first year of the Harbaugh era. Chargers 31, Patriots 14
Sam Farmer’s pick: The Patriots will have a good game plan, and Drake Maye will throw it well, but he’ll probably wind up with an interception or two. The Chargers are getting better off the edge. Chargers 24, Patriots 20
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
