Chargers could be in “big trouble” vs. Patriots

New England Patriots

A broken bone in Justin Herbert’s hand and a battered offensive line could be a nuisance for Los Angeles.

The Patriots are on a whole different level than they were The Chargers demolished them 40-7 at Gillette Stadium last December.

They catapulted themselves from last place in the AFC East to division champions and earned the right to host Los Angeles on Sunday night in the wild card round.

Former Patriots coach Bill Belichick weighed in on the Chargers’ chances during the game appearance on Sirius XM’s “Let’s Go!”

It could be a long day if Los Angeles has to throw the ball too much.

“What’s the quarterback situation with (Justin) Herbert?” Belichick said as he transcribed ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “The broken arm and all that, that was definitely a factor. They had some injuries on offense.

“If the Chargers have to play from behind, pass block and try to protect and throw the ball 35, 40 times, I think they’re going to be in big trouble.

Herbert broke a bone in his hand on Nov. 30 during the Chargers’ win against the Raiders. He played in the next five games before taking the regular season finale against Denver. The Chargers are 4-1 in Herbert’s last five games, but he has only had one multi-touchdown game in that stretch. He only topped 300 yards four times this season.

The Chargers lost both of their starting offensive tackles — Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater — to season-ending injuries.

Last week in a piece titled “How the Chargers offensive line turned into woe“, ESPN reported that the Chargers have tried 29 different offensive line combinations this season, third most in the NFL. They have allowed 60 sacks, fourth most in the league.

Avoiding a situation where they have to become one-dimensional to get back into the game would be key for the Chargers, Belichick said.

The Patriots have had trouble stopping kickoffs this season. Keeping things close enough to stick to the run of play would make things easier in Los Angeles.

“If they can play from the front, get control of the game, make it a close game; they definitely have a defense,” Belichick said. “And if they have enough running games … I think they’d definitely have a chance.

The Patriots are a 3.5-point favorite heading into their first home playoff game since January 2020. Nine of the Patriots’ 17 regular season games have been decided by a touchdown or less. The game is set to kick off at 8pm on Sunday night at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.