Chargers rested starters because they ‘wanted’ Patriots

With their shot at successful the AFC West not on the desk final weekend, Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers opted to relaxation their starters in Week 18 towards the Denver Broncos — headlined by star QB Justin Herbert.

The rationale was sound, provided that Los Angeles had little to play for on the street towards a top-seeded Denver group, coupled with the truth that an additional week of relaxation would profit a QB like Herbert who underwent a surgical process on his non-throwing hand only a month in the past. 

As such, the Chargers fell to the Broncos, 19-3, locking Denver into the No. 1 seed within the AFC and setting themselves up for a Wild-Card matchup against the Patriots on Sunday night at Gillette Stadium. 

Talking on NBC’s “Sunday Evening Soccer” broadcast, former Patriots security Devin McCourty stated that there was extra to the Chargers’ determination to throw away a Week 18 sport than simply relaxation a few of their prime gamers. 

“I feel the Chargers not enjoying their guys [Sunday], I feel they wished to go to New England and play towards this Patriots group,” the three-time Super Bowl champion said. “The Patriots don’t have a fantastic go rush, the Chargers are slightly weak up entrance, I feel they like that matchup.”

A primary-round matchup towards the Chargers stands as a neater bout for New England than a possible playoff assembly with Josh Allen and the Payments — or an elite Houston Texans protection. 

Nonetheless, the Patriots aren’t essentially geared up to take advantage of Los Angeles’ biggest flaw this season: their porous offensive line. 

After shedding each of their franchise tackles in Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt this season because of harm, Los Angeles’ O-line has taken on water this season, routinely placing Herbert below duress. 

The Chargers entered Week 18 with a league-worst pass block win rate of 54 percent, per ESPN, whereas Herbert was sacked 54 instances in 2025. 

New England does have some pass-rushers who might feast on Sunday night time towards L.A.’s poor go safety. However, New England’s protection isn’t precisely bolstered by a potent go rush. Solely six groups posted fewer than the 35.0 sacks the Patriots generated in 2025. 

Whereas a hefty portion of New England’s gameplan on Sunday will revolve round getting after Herbert and flushing him out of the pocket, Mike Vrabel cautioned on Monday morning that the Chargers are a well-rounded opponent that might make life depressing for the Patriots in quite a lot of methods. 

“I’ll simply let you know that they play nice protection,” Vrabel stated Monday morning. “They’re very sound. They’re good tacklers. They’re bodily. They get off the sphere on third down. They’re good within the crimson zone. They run the soccer. It’s a bodily soccer group. They possess the soccer. They lead the NFL in time of possession.

“They’ve superb quarterback play. They’re properly coached. They play with approach and fundamentals. The sport, it doesn’t — they don’t panic by hook or by crook. They sort of persist with their sport plan, put on you down and execute in crucial conditions. So, loads of respect for them and positively what they’ve performed in a brief period of time.”

 

Conor Ryan is a employees author masking the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Purple Sox for Boston.com, a task he has held since 2023.