Even with the Chargers’ playoff hopes in the air last week, Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley didn’t pay much attention to NFL games on TV during a rare off weekend after a Thursday game against the Denver Broncos.
“It didn’t really matter,” Henley said, “because I’m like, we can’t lose anymore anyway.”
Buoyed by a key win over the Broncos, the Chargers (9-6) need a victory Saturday against the New England Patriots to officially clinch their first postseason berth since 2022. They’re already in the playoff mindset, however, while chasing their third 10-win season in the last 15 years.
Reinforcements could be on the way for the late-season push as cornerback Cam Hart (concussion), running back J.K. Dobbins (knee) and safety Elijah Molden (knee) returned to practice this week. Hart and Molden missed last Thursday’s game while Dobbins has been on injured reserve for a month.
The Patriots (3-12) have lost five consecutive games to fall out of playoff contention, with three losses coming by six or fewer points, including a 24-21 defeat last week to the Buffalo Bills.
Rookie quarterback Drake Maye helped the Patriots take a 14-0 lead over one of the AFC’s top Super Bowl contenders, but the Patriots turned the ball over on their first three drives of the second half, including a lateral pass that bounced off running back Rhamondre Stevenson’s hands and was recovered in the end zone for a Bills touchdown.
Maye has thrown a touchdown pass in seven consecutive games, tied with Jim Plunkett for the longest such streak by a rookie in Patriots history. However, the third-overall pick out of North Carolina also has had at least one pass intercepted in each of those games.
