Patriots dominant as ever; just ask overrun Chargers
‘We got our butts kicked,’ L.A. coach says after playoff rout
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Tom Brady recognizes that there are some who believe the Patriots are nearing the end of their run of unprecedented playoff success.
New England took its first step toward possibly silencing those voices for a little longer.
Sony Michel ran for 129 yards and had three touchdowns and the Patriots beat the Los Angeles Chargers 41-28 in a divisional playoff game Sunday to earn their eighth straight trip to the AFC championship game.
New England (12-5) will play at Kansas City in next week’s AFC title game. The Patriots beat the Chiefs 4340 in Foxborough in Week 6. The Patriots finished 9-0 at home this season.
It is the 13th conference championship game appearance by the Patriots during the Tom Brady-bill Belichick era.
“It’s going to be a good game,” Brady said of the rematch with the Chiefs. “They’re a good team. We played them earlier this year. I know everybody thinks we suck and, you know, we can’t win any games, so we’ll see. It’ll be fun.”
The Chargers (13-5) haven’t reached the AFC title game since the 2007 season.
Philip Rivers finished 25 of 51 for 331 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. He is 0-5 in games played in Foxborough, including 0-3 in the postseason.
Brady finished 34 of 44 for 343 yards and a touchdown. He improved to 8-0 as a starter against Rivers, who dropped to 1-8 against New England all time.
For Rivers, seeing Brady again pick apart the Chargers defense was another reminder that he was competing against one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history.
“He’s up there if not the all-time great, then one of,” Rivers said. “That argument can go on forever. … Was he rolling at the highest level today? I think we can all agree on that.”
James White tied Darren Sproles’ NFL postseason record with 15 catches, totaling 97 yards.
Unstoppable start
New England scored on its first four possessions of the game to build a 35-7 halftime lead.
Julian Edelman had nine catches for 151 yards. He said the run game opened up the field for the rest of the offense.
“It was awesome to get Sony out there trucking,” said Edelman. “Rex (Burkhead) was out there, he scored. And ‘Sweet Feet’ (James White) being ‘Sweet Feet.’ Sony’s over there being a little horse. It was awesome.”
The Chargers added three touchdowns in the second half , but it was much too late.
Los Angeles lost for just the second time on the road (8-2) and first time outside Los Angeles this season. In their past four trips to the playoffs, the Chargers have lost in the divisional round.
“We got our butts kicked,” Los Angeles coach Anthony Lynn said.
Asked if this victory proved at least some of the Patriots’ doubters wrong, Brady paused and smiled.
“I just like winning,” he said. “I just like winning.”
Patriots at Chiefs (-3); AFC championship game, 3:40 p.m. Sunday; Chargers, season over
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