FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – JANUARY 13: Sony Michel #26 of the New England Patriots reacts as he scores a touchdown during the first quarter of the AFC Divisional Playoff Game at Gillette Stadium against the Los Angeles Chargers on January 13, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
The Chargers only had 10 men on the field during New England’s first score of the game — a perfect omen for the kind of day they were going to have.
The Los Angeles Chargers made it to the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs, but now they are getting their rear ends handed to them by the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.
It’s been an utter disaster of a day for the Chargers, and there were signs that it would be that kind of day on the very first possession of the game. After the Patriots won the coin toss and elected to receive, Tom Brady marched them right down the field. The Chargers committed a third-down penalty in the red zone to give New England a second chance, and rookie running back Sony Michel pounded the ball into the end zone.
During Michel’s touchdown run, the Chargers showed just how out of sorts they were by only having 10 men on the field. I
Los Angeles did manage to respond with a touchdown of their own when Philip Rivers found Keenan Allen wide open in the end zone on their first possession. But since that point, Rivers and the Chargers offense haven’t been able to get anything going, while the Patriots have just been running up the score en route to the AFC Championship Game in Kansas City next week.
Many football experts liked the Chargers’ chances to win this game, but it appears to be just another postseason misfire for Rivers’ team. This one, however, has been a little bit uglier than most.