Turf battle is perfect storm

FOXBORO — No one has beaten the Patriots at Gillette Stadium this season. The Texans, Chiefs, Vikings and Packers couldn’t do it, just to name a few. Maybe this group isn’t considered as potent as past Patriots contenders, but they did maintain a significant element of dominance: they were the only team in the NFL without a loss at home this season. Next comes the Chargers, a team with the best road record in the league at 8-1. More impressive, that mark wasn’t fattened by a bunch of creampuffs. They’ve taken out some heavy hitters such as Seattle, Pittsburgh, Kansas City and, last week, Baltimore. But those teams pale in comparison to today’s matchup. Slaying the Patriots would easily be the biggest road prize given their dominance in Foxboro, not to mention what’s at stake. In what figures to be a great matchup, this AFC Divisional round game is the perfect storm. The Patriots are 8-0 on their turf this season and have been historically the toughest out in football playing at Gillette during the postseason. They haven’t lost a playoff game at home since the 2012 AFC Championship Game. The Chargers, however, are a tough team to rattle on the road. They’ll have no fear of coming to Foxboro and taking on Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and all the mystique. “We’ve had some tough road trips. We’ve gone across the country and had a home game in London and been all over. It’s a tough group,” Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers said of his teammates on a conference call Wednesday. “It’s a tough team. We’re well aware that the Patriots haven’t lost at home and we haven’t lost out of L.A. County, so one of those streaks is going to be broken on Sunday.” The Patriots know the Chargers have something special going on this season wherever they play. They haven’t generated much of a following in the Los Angeles area (they play their home games in a soccer stadium in Carson) since moving from San Diego. Playing at home hasn’t been all that different than playing on the road in terms of crowd support. Maybe that’s why they’ve been so good playing at road venues. The noise isn’t a factor. “We have a tough football team, no doubt. I believe that. I think going on the road, it really doesn’t faze this team,” said Chargers coach Anthony Lynn. “We love ball, we like playing football, we like competing and we know going into Foxboro, they’re undefeated there and they’re tough to beat, period. It doesn’t matter where you play the Patriots; they’re tough to beat. They have a wealth of experience on their team and they’re well-coached by Coach (Bill) Belichick and his staff. We’re looking forward to coming out there but we know our hands are full.” Judging by the forecast, the Chargers, who arrive with a 13-4 mark, are going to have to deal with bitter cold for the first time. They were fine with the time change and bouncing between coasts last week and an early start in Baltimore. That didn’t faze them in the least. They also had a nice 50-degree day. They won’t enjoy such warmth in New England. Brady, asked recently why Gillette Stadium is such an edge for his team, spoke about the fans, but also the players’ familiarity with the climate. “I think the one positive I see from being here is we practice in the elements all the time and I think we’re so used to playing in this climate with the everchanging weather conditions that we have,” he said. “Just understanding how it works in our stadium and I think those things end up being a benefit if we use them the right way. We love playing here, we’ve done a great job, communication’s certainly better at home which helps. But going out and executing in whatever conditions, hopefully we handle them better than our opponents.” Kicker Stephen Gostkowski, who kicked four field goals to help take down the Chargers in a regular season game last year, doesn’t know if playing in New England is an advantage, he’s just glad he’s able to practice in the stadium and get acclimated to what he’s bound to be up against on game day. “I’m just glad we can practice in it, before we play in it,” said Gostkowski. “It’s good to practice what you play in.” Chargers kicker Mike Badgley, who played his college football at the University of Miami, won’t have that benefit. Even Nick Rose, who the Chargers signed to handle the kickoffs, might not be able to get it out of the end zone to avoid Cordarrelle Patterson. “If it’s zero degrees, I’m not going to be kicking touchbacks,” said Gostkowski. “There’s certain things, you just try to do the best you can.” Patriots players have, for the most part, downplayed the advantage of playing at Gillette except to credit the crowd for helping create a hostile environment. Trey Flowers says bottom line, forget the location. It’s the playoffs, so it’s just going to come down to who executes best. “Any time you’re dealing with a win or go home game, it’s going to be amped up urgency, amped up focus. That’s just the type of environment that you should have, understanding that this is for your whole season, this is for the whole organization,” he said. “So it’s no more next Sunday, no more come in and review the film, it’s just one game so definitely got to be precise in the fundamentals, in the little things, the techniques and focus on them as you prepare.”