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DOWN X DOWN › week 12 › Patriots at Chargers
Updated Nov 2, 5:48 PM ET
2026
2026this season2025final

Week 12 · Sunday 8:20 PM ET · SoFi Stadium

NEvsLAC

Patriots offensevsChargers defense

Season numbers through Week 8: 8 games for Patriots, 7 for Chargers. Ranks are out of 32; #1 is the best offense or the stingiest defense.

NE offenseLAC offense
Keys to the game · where this matchup tilts, from the season numbers4 reads
01
Biggest edge

Clean pockets

Patriots take a sack on 6% of dropbacks (16th). Chargers get home on 6% (23rd). League average is 7%.

02
Opportunity

Deep left is open

Chargers are worst against deep left throws, allowing +0.21 EPA per attempt. Patriots send 9% of their throws there. That is a small part of their offense so far.

03
Watch out

Tight ends go quiet

Chargers give up 6.0 targets a game to tight ends (3rd), against a league average of 7.6. Patriots' tight ends produce 6.8 (22nd).

04
Wash

EPA per play

Call this one even. Patriots average +0.06 EPA per play (8th). Chargers allow -0.04 (9th). League average is +0.00.

Players to watch

NE Patriots

10Drake MayeQB · 157/234 · 1983 yds · 15 TD · 8 INTEPA per dropback +0.21 · 9th38Rhamondre StevensonRB · 96 car · 367 yds · 3 TD · 23 recEPA per touch 0.00 · 18th3DeMario DouglasWR · 26 rec · 332 yds · 4 TD · 37 tgtEPA per target +0.57 · 13th85Hunter HenryTE · 29 rec · 326 yds · 2 TD · 34 tgtEPA per target +0.55 · 5th91Elijah PonderWeakside Linebacker · 23 tackles · 6 sacks · 1 PD6 sacks · T-7th in the NFL25Marcus JonesNickel Back · 39 tackles · 1 sack · 1 INT · 6 PD1 INT

LAC Chargers

10Justin HerbertQB · 131/212 · 1398 yds · 5 TD · 10 INTEPA per dropback -0.268Omarion HamptonRB · 89 car · 309 yds · 3 TD · 11 recEPA per touch -0.239Tre HarrisWR · 18 rec · 256 yds · 0 TD · 28 tgtEPA per target +0.301Quentin JohnstonWR · 12 rec · 202 yds · 0 TD · 26 tgtEPA per target +0.2445Tuli TuipulotuWeakside Linebacker · 29 tackles · 3 sacks · 1 INT · 3 PD3 sacks20Cam HartLeft Cornerback · 28 tackles · 2 INT · 6 PD2 INT · T-11th in the NFL
The series · Patriots and Chargers since 1999, and this season's records17 meetings

The Patriots lead the series 12–5 since 1999 (they first met in 2001). Jan 11, 2026, at Gillette Stadium: the Patriots won 16–3. Drake Maye started at quarterback for the Patriots and Justin Herbert for the Chargers; Mike Vrabel and Jim Harbaugh coached.

Patriots at home7–3the Patriots' record
In Los Angeles5–2the Patriots' record
Most pointsPatriots 45 · Chargers 412020 · 2005
Biggest winPatriots by 45 · Chargers by 332020 · 2024
Playoffs4–0the Patriots' record

The last 5

2025 · Wk 19 · playoffsLAC 3 at NE 16
2024 · Wk 17LAC 40 at NE 7
2023 · Wk 13LAC 6 at NE 0
2021 · Wk 8NE 27 at LAC 24
2020 · Wk 13NE 45 at LAC 0

2026 records

PatriotsChargers
Overall5–30–7
Division3–00–3
Conference5–10–4
Other conference0–20–3
Home3–00–3
Away2–30–4
Last 5WWWLWLLLLL
StreakWon 1Lost 7
Points a game23.0 – 20.314.1 – 25.0

Every meeting since 1999, regular season and playoffs, from nflverse's game list, which starts in 1999; the all-time series goes back further. Franchises that moved count as one team (the Raiders, Chargers and Rams). Home and away are from the Patriots' side. Records are this regular season.

The lineups · Patriots offense against the Chargers defenseDepth charts
Chargers defense · 3-4 DPatriots offense · 3WR 1TE66Campbell72Rouse55Wilson65Pryor76Moses85Henry10Maye38Stevenson1Brown86Chism3Douglas92Eboigbe99Caldwell93Tart45Tuipulotu52Mack53Phillips0Henley26Jackson20Hart4Still23Jefferson2Molden

Patriots offense · 3WR 1TE

  • QBDrake Maye#10 · 157/234 · 1983 yds · 15 TD · 8 INT
  • RBRhamondre Stevenson#38 · 96 car · 367 yds · 3 TD · 23 rec
  • WRA.J. Brown#1 · 9 rec · 101 yds · 0 TD · 20 tgt
  • WRDeMario Douglas#3 · 26 rec · 332 yds · 4 TD · 37 tgt
  • WREfton Chism III#86 · 15 rec · 151 yds · 1 TD · 20 tgt
  • TEHunter Henry#85 · 29 rec · 326 yds · 2 TD · 34 tgt
  • LTWill Campbell#66
  • LGWalter Rouse#72
  • CJared Wilson#55
  • RGMatt Pryor#65
  • RTMorgan Moses#76

Chargers defense · Base 3-4 D

  • RDEJustin Eboigbe#92 · 24 tackles · 0.5 sacks
  • NTJamaree Caldwell#99 · 13 tackles
  • LDETeair Tart#93 · 15 tackles
  • WLBTuli Tuipulotu#45 · 29 tackles · 3 sacks · 1 INT · 3 PD
  • SLBKhalil Mack#52 · 21 tackles · 3 sacks
  • RILBDel'Shawn Phillips#53 · 36 tackles
  • LILBDaiyan Henley#0 · 39 tackles · 0.5 sacks · 1 PD
  • RCBDonte Jackson#26 · 7 tackles · 2 PD
  • LCBCam Hart#20 · 28 tackles · 2 INT · 6 PD
  • NBTarheeb Still#4 · 24 tackles · 1 INT · 4 PD
  • SSTony Jefferson#23 · 31 tackles · 2 PD
  • FSElijah Molden#2 · 24 tackles

Starters from each team's current depth chart (nflverse, from ESPN), drawn in the offense's base three-receiver set against the defense's base front. The nickel back, the extra defensive back most teams use against three receivers, is drawn lighter. Left and right are as the offense sees the field. The toggle at the top flips which offense is drawn.

Head to head · NE offense against LAC defense
StatNE NE offFavors NE · Favors LACLAC LAC def allowsNFL avg
Overall
EPA per play
+0.06#8
-0.04#9+0.00
Success rate
46%#10
44%#1944%
Yards per play
6.1#4
5.6#205.4
Explosive play rate
11%#8
10%#179%
Passing
Pass EPA per dropback
+0.15#8
-0.02#10+0.03
Sack rate
6%#16
6%#237%
Running
Run EPA per carry
-0.14#23
-0.06#23-0.08
Yards per carry
3.9#20
4.3#214.1
Money downs
3rd down conversion
43%#11
31%#341%
Red zone TD rate
52%#26
52%#1061%
Targets by position
WR yards per game
157#11
133#12147
TE yards per game
62#10
52#1555
TE targets per game
6.8#22
6.0#37.6
RB receiving yards per game
34#12
22#732
Where the ball goes · EPA per throwDeep is 15+ air yds

Patriots: EPA per throw

Left
Middle
Right
Deep
+0.169% of throws
+0.752% of throws
+0.9911% of throws
Short
-0.1532% of throws
+0.4814% of throws
+0.3932% of throws

Chargers: EPA allowed per throw

Left
Middle
Right
Deep
+0.2111 throws
3too few
+1.197 throws
Short
+0.1060 throws
-0.0942 throws
+0.0073 throws

Green gains more than expected, red loses value. Cells with fewer than 5 throws are grayed out.