AFC Divisional Playoffs Live Blog: Patriots vs. Chargers

Welcome to the AFC Divisional Playoffs! We are 10 minutes from kickoff; one notable inactive- Patriots defensive end Deatrich Wise. That is a big loss for this defense. It is cold, it feels like the playoffs. Game on!!!

FIRST QUARTER

15:00- Bad start; the kickoff bounces off of Develin and goes out at the 17.

14:49- White for eight on the catch; 2nd & 2…

14:10- Someone missed a block, Michel loses one on the run; 3rd & 3…

13:36- Edelman picks up six on the catch; 1st & 10…

13:07- Another ugly run for a loss of one; 2nd & 11…

12:50- Gain of nine on the catch by White; 3rd & 2…

11:52- Another 1st down, another catch by Edelman; 1st & 10 from the Patriots 48…

11:12- Shovel pass to White and he runs for 17 on the well-designed play; 1st & 10, Adrian Philips was hurt on the play…

10:56- Michel with a nice run off tackle for 12 yards; 1st & 10…

10:21- Michel runs for five more; 2nd & 5…

9:37- Six-yard catch by White for another 1st down; 1st & 10 from the Charger 14…

9:02- Michel drilled for no gain; 2nd & 10…

8:29- Gain of five by White; 3rd & 6 from the Charger nine…

7:52- DPI on the Chargers (assaulting Gronk); 1st & Goal from the one…

7:49- TOUCHDOWN, PATRIOTS!! Michel pounds it in from one yard out, and the Patriots put together an excellent well-balanced drive that took a large chunk of time off the clock. If their offense can move the ball like this today, the Chargers could be in trouble. Gostkowski connected on the extra point; Patriots 7, Chargers 0

7:44- No gain on the run by Gordon; 2nd & 10…

6:52- Deep pass to Williams is dropped; he should have caught that. Bad coverage, and the Chargers face 3rd & 10…the Chargers didn’t get the snap off in time, so now they’ll face 3rd & 15…

6:46- Catch by Tyrell Williams for a big first down, but he never got back up after the play. Usually I would be annoyed with allowing a 3rd & 15 conversion, but that is the MO of this Patriots defense. 1st & 10, Chargers…

6:22- Eckler runs for three on the end-around; 2nd & 7…

5:42- Run for eight by Gordon; 1st & 10 from the Patriots 43…

4:56- Touchdown, Chargers. Keenan Allen is wide open because Gilmore had a complete brain cramp. That was not good, and we have a tie game. Patriots 7, Chargers 7

4:51- Patterson returns the short kick to the 30; Patterson is going to make a play at some point.

4:49- Incomplete pass to White; 2nd & 10…

4:40- 12-yard run by Michel on the cutback; 1st & 10…

4:08- Fake end-around screen doesn’t work, and the Patriots lose three; 2nd & 13…

3:25- Edelman made the catch for eight, then ripped his way for six more to pick up the 1st; 1st & 10…

2:52- Michel runs for two; 2nd & 8…

2:11- Edelman picks up 28 on the catch; 1st & 10 from the Charger 15…

1:35- TOUCHDOWN, PATRIOTS!! Michel takes it in from 15 yards out, and the offense has some serious balance going right now. The run opens up play action for this offense, and that makes them dangerous because it buys Brady time. Patriots 14, Chargers 7

1:27- The Chargers offense takes over on their own 25…

1:22- Roberts fills the hole, and the Chargers gain just one; 2nd & 9…

:42- Incomplete pass because of good pressure; 3rd & 9…

:34- Incomplete pass because Rivers was pressured and nobody was open; the Charges will be forced to punt.

:24- Incomplete pass on the scary tip by Ingram; 2nd & 10…

:22- Edelman once again makes a catch and rips through for the 1st down; 1st & 10 after the impressive 14-yard gain. That will end the first quarter, a quarter where the Patriots offense looked sharp and balanced. The defense needs to avoid mental errors. Patriots 14, Chargers 7

SECOND QUARTER

15:00- Edelman for 15 more; 1st & 10…

14:23- Incomplete pass to Hogan; 2nd & 10 from the Charger 30…

14:16- Dorsett picks up 12 on the catch; strong protection, and the Patriots have a 1st down again…

13:43- Run of four by Michel; 2nd & 6…

13:07- Five-yard catch by Hogan; 3rd & 1…false start by Hogan, which is inexcusable for a wide receiver.

12:17- TOUCHDOWN!! Dorsett runs a great corner route to get wide open in the back of the end zone. The Patriots offense is moving the ball easily, and they now have a 14-point lead. Patriots 21, Chargers 7

12:11- Gordon picks up 11 on the catch; 1st & 10…

11:40- Gordon runs for eight; 2nd & 2…

10:55- Jackson with strong coverage on the long crossing route to Tyrell Williams; incomplete pass, 3rd & 2…delay of game on the Chargers, 3rd & 7…

10:47- Williams with a great catch for the first down; 1st & 10 from their own 48…

10:09- No gain by Gordon on the run; 2nd & 10…

9:25- Good pressure by the defensive line; 3rd & 10…

9:19- Good blitz, good hit by Chung on Rivers, and nice PBU by McCourty; the Patriots get the stop they wanted.

9:03- Screen pass to White for 25 yards; 1st & 10…

8:36- Six-yard run by Michel; 2nd & 4…

7:57- Michel runs for two; 3rd & 8…

7:21- Brady missed an open Hogan down the field, but the Chargers were called for holding in the secondary, giving the Patriots an automatic first down.

7:09- Michel runs for 41 yards after the awesome block by Gronkowski; Michel has 95 yards already. 1st & Goal…

6:04- TOUCHDOWN, PATRIOTS!! Burkhead ripped through a huge hole created by Brown and Gronk, and the Patriots are just playing physical football. This is the best the offense has looked all year. There is a lot of game left, so don’t assume anything, but a 21-point lead at home is a good place to be. Patriots 28, Chargers 7

5:52- Tyrell Williams picks up 26 on the catch; 1st & 10…

5:17- No gain on the run by Gordon; 2nd & 10…

4:33- Wild pass is broken up by Gilmore, who almost picked it off. The Chargers now face 3rd & 10 from their own 46…timeout, Chargers.

4:28- Incomplete pass, and the Chargers punt again. Edelman played it on the bounce, and returned it to the 20. The Patriots offense is looking to come out and have a nice, long scoring drive to end the half.

4:11- Incomplete pass on the deep ball; 2nd & 10…

4:07- Three-yard run by Michel; 3rd & 7…

3:32- Three-and-out for the Patriots offense, who for the first time today looked bad. Good defense by the Chargers.

3:22- We are about to have a review on the punt return; it appeared to be a fumble and a recovery by New England, but the ref on the sideline called him out of bounds. Replay seems to say a different story. If New England gets the ball, the Chargers could be in big trouble.

3:22- PATRIOTS BALL!! New England takes over at the Chargers 35.

3:16- Edelman makes the catch for a gain of 15, and he got drilled. 1st & 10 from the 16…

2:33- Michel runs for two when there appeared to be more there…2nd & 8…two minute warning.

2:00- Dorsett picks up yet another 1st down on the deep out; 1st & Goal from the Chargers five…

1:43- TOUCHDOWN, PATRIOTS!! Michel takes it in behind dominant blocking, and the Patriots are all over the Chargers. New England is NOT going to let up either, it just isn’t what they do. Gronkowski has been an animal in the run game today, clearing the way for many big runs. Patriots 35, Chargers 7

1:31- SACK!! Flowers makes the play, and he has been all over Rivers today. 2nd & 20…

1:28- Gates picks up 10; 3rd & 10…

1:02- Jackson breaks up the pass, and the Patriots offense will have just under one minute with two timeouts. The offense will start at their own 48 with :51 seconds left, which is PLENTY of time to score. Patriots 35, Chargers 7

:45- No gain on the screen; 2nd & 10…

:26- 15-yard catch by Edelman, and the Patriots are in position to score again.

:21- White makes the catch for two; 2nd & 8…

:15- Another two yard gain by White through the air; 3rd & 6, and the field goal would be 54 yards from here.

:00- The Patriots may have just got screwed at the end of the half; Brady completed the pass to Dorsett, who appeared to be close to the 1st down and got out of bounds, but they called him tackled in the field of play. Garbage call, but it doesn’t take away from the dominant half the Patriots just dropped on the Chargers. San Diego starts the 2nd half with the ball.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 35, LOS ANGELES CHARGERS 7

HALFTIME

THIRD QUARTER

15:00- Strong return to the 31 by the Chargers; their offense needs to score on this series.

14:48- Pass sails on Rivers; 2nd & 10…

14:44- Well-timed blitz as the Patriots have unleashed a confusing scheme; 3rd & 10…

14:35- Gain of three by Tyrell Williams, and the Patriots defense looked very good again on that series. Good pressure, coverage, and scheme. Edelman returned the punt to the 33, where the Patriots offense will take over. Obviously the Chargers cannot afford to give up any score.

13:46- Jet sweep for seven by Edelman (love that play). New England runs that better than anyone; 1st & 10…

13:11- Loss of two on the run by Burkhead; good read by Ingram. 3rd & 4…

12:30- GRONK!! Big catch & run by the future Hall-of-Famer, and the Patriots are driving again. 1st & 10…

11:25- Michel runs for five; 2nd & 5…

11:05- White for four on the catch; 3rd & 1…

10:32- Fullback dive by Develin for two yards and another Patriots’ 1st down; 1st & 10 from the Chargers 25…

9:57- Chargers get pressure and Brady almost throws a pick; 2nd & 10…

9:52- Burkhead with the catch and run for seven; 3rd & 3…

9:14- White can’t break the tackle, and he only gains one. 4th & 2, and they’ll line up to go for it…

8:31- Demoralizing run by Michel for the 1st down; 1st & Goal from the nine….

7:55- No gain on the run by Michel; 2nd & Goal…

7:13- No gain on the catch by White, but that takes another 45 seconds off the clock; 3rd & Goal…

6:34- Incomplete, and now the Patriots will attempt the field goal.

6:31- FIELD GOAL, PATRIOTS! Of course they would rather have the touchdown, but an scoring drive is another nail in the Chargers coffin. They are down by five scores now, which means they need to score on every possession to even have a chance. Patriots 38, Chargers 7

6:17- The Patriots defense pretty much knew that play to perfection, and the pass is thrown away. 2nd & 10…

6:12- Flowers is called for going to low on what used to be a great sack in the past. Weak call.

5:46- Of course they make a big play after the weak call. 1st & 10 from the Patriots 37…

5:10- Mike Williams picks up five on the catch, and Chung got dinged up; 2nd & 5…

4:26- 15-yard gain by Tyrell Williams, but there is going to be a review because it appeared that he fumbled. If he did, and the Patriots recovered, this game is essentially done. Let’s see how the review goes.

3:29- Incomplete pass to Eckler in the end zone on the out-and-up; 3rd & 10 from the Patriots 20…

3:23- Holding on Gilmore gives the Chargers another ref-assisted 1st down.

3:16- Gates gets drilled on the weird throw by Rivers; 2nd & 13 from the 18..

2:33- Williams makes the catch at the one; 1st & Goal…

2:01- The Chargers were forced to take a timeout, although it appeared the flag came 1st for delay of game.

1:56- Gordon got POPPED at the line of scrimmage; 2nd & Goal…

1:16- Ref-assisted touchdown, Chargers. I call it as I see it. They cut the lead to 24, and the Patriots offense will come out and try to score another touchdown. Patriots 38, Chargers 14

1:08- Edelman with the catch for nine; 2nd & 1…

:30- Develin slams ahead for two more and another Patriots first down. That’ll do it for the third quarter, and the Patriots hold a 24-point lead over the visiting Los Angeles Chargers. Patriots 38, Chargers 14

FOURTH QUARTER

15:00- Edelman continues his huge day on a great throw by Brady for 35 yards; 1st & 10 from the Chargers 29…

14:05- Edelman called for the hold, which was obvious. 1st & 20 from the Chargers 38…

13:40- White takes the screen pass 22 yards, and the Patriots are in business again. White has 14 catches today. 1st & 10…

13:09- Incomplete pass to Patterson on the screen; 2nd & 10…

13:05- Miscommunication on the screen; 3rd & 10…

12:59- Hogan picks up six on the catch, and the Patriots will attempt a 30-yard field goal…

12:23- FIELD GOAL, PATRIOTS! Gostkowski connects from 30 yards out, and the Patriots push the lead back to 27. Patriots 41, Chargers 14

12:18- Good kickoff coverage and the Chargers will begin their series at their own 23.

12:13- Obvious hold called on the Chargers, and that will back up the Chargers to their own 13; 1st & 20…

12:08- Good pressure, and the pass is overthrown due to said pressure. Adam Butler has been very good today. 2nd & 20…

12:01- Van Noy clearly has hands for feet as he drops the easiest pick ever. 3rd & 20…

11:55- Three-and-out, and the Chargers are forced to punt. There was a flag for running into the kicker, but it was declined. Luckily this game isn’t close because that could have been a huge penalty. They can’t have those types of mistakes next week, assuming they hold onto the lead here.

11:42- Michel runs for a gain of six; 2nd & 4…

11:03- Michel runs for three; 3rd & 1…

10:31- Weak run by Michel and the Patriots will be forced to punt. He needs to get lower and drive his legs more on 3rd & short. 4th & 1…

9:39- The Chargers will take over at their own 25 after the Patriots couldn’t pick up the 1st down.

9:32- 30 yard gain through the air; 1st & 10 from the 50…

9:20- Incomplete pass on the drop; 2nd & 10…

9:02- Another weak call in the secondary; that was good coverage and they called DPI on Jackson. Ref-assisted 1st down for the Chargers…

8:57- Five yard run; 2nd & 5…

8:24- Rivers escapes and completes the pass for a gain of two; 3rd & 4…

7:42- Allen can’t finish the catch, which is being challenged. I don’t understand why people don’t get this rule; the ball came loose on the landing, which should mean incomplete. UPDATE- the NFL changes the rule weekly. What a joke. Chargers pick up another ref-assisted touchdown, and now this is a game. Now they pickup the two-point conversion. Not good. Patriots 41, Chargers 22

7:37- Onside kick, which seems a little early, is recovered by New England at the Chargers 44.

7:33- Michel runs for two; 2nd & 8…

6:55- Hogan with the catch for a gain of three; 3rd & 5…

6:05- Yuck. Awful underhand shovel pass that DOES keep the clock moving, but Develin jumped offside. This is NOT a strong quarter for New England. Allen punts it to the one, so the Chargers have their hands full.

5:00- Incomplete pass; 2nd & 10…

4:57- Incomplete pass to Allen; 3rd & 10…

4:52- 11-yard reception for the 1st down…

4:22- McCourty almost makes the pick, but the pass was a grounder. 2nd & 10…

4:18- Incomplete pass to Allen due to strong pressure; 3rd & 10…

4:12- INTERCEPTION!! Gilmore makes a great play, locating the ball at it’s highest point and going up and taking it. The Patriots take over at the Chargers 35…and they are called for holding immediately. 1st & 20 from the 45…

4:01- Michel runs for two; 2nd & 18…

3:54- Only a couple yards on the run, but there was a great block on the play. 3rd & 14…

3:49- Burkhead runs for four, but he keeps the clock moving. Allen is on to punt…

3:06- The Patriots take the delay of game to give Allen more room and drain time off the clock. Allen just missed a great punt; the Chargers take over at their own 20.

2:59- Incomplete pass; 2nd & 10…

2:50- Rivers misses yet again, and the Chargers are now facing 3rd & 10…

2:44- Incomplete pass as it is batted down by three members of the Patriots secondary; 4th & 10…

2:37- The Chargers pick up 15 and a 1st down; 1st & 10 from their own 35…

2:31- Eckler for seven; 2nd & 3…

2:00- SACK! Clayborn makes the sack, and the Chargers are facing 3rd down again. We have reached the two-minute-warning. Patriots 41, Chargers 22

1:53- Allen picks up 20 and another 1st down….

1:17- Another 1st down, and the Chargers are setup at the New England 25…

1:13- Incomplete pass, and Rivers, who is possibly the biggest baby in football, continues to complain. 2nd & 10…

1:05- Touchdown, Chargers. Well, this game isn’t over. The Patriots defense quit awhile ago. This is frustrating. Incomplete pass on the two-point conversion. Patriots 41, Chargers 28

:58- The onside kick is recovered, and the Patriots will take the victory formation as they get ready to head to their EIGHTH CONSECUTIVE AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME!!!

:00- Everyone talked about how the dynasty was dead, but the Patriots completely dominated the Chargers, who picked up a few scores in garbage time. Next week everyone will pick the Chiefs, but until someone beats the Patriots, they remain the kings of the AFC.

Thanks again for joining us, and be sure to join us for the AFC Championship next week!

FINAL SCORE: NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 41, SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 28