Patriots linebacker Robert Spillane went off when asked if the team needed to win a playoff game to validate their season.

Los Angeles went 9-8 against the spread in the regular season and finished 10-7 to the Under. New England was 12-5 ATS and 11-6 to the Over. The Chargers have recorded four Unders in their last five games. The Patriots have covered four of their last five and have produced five straight Overs.

The Patriots and Dolphins close out their regular season schedules on Sunday at Gillette Stadium. Here's how to watch.

With the 2025 regular season now complete, here’s what's ahead in the New England Patriots’ quest for record seventh Super Bowl championship.

Following their blowout win over the Miami Dolphins, the Patriots locked into the AFC’s No. 2 seed and will take on the Los Angeles Chargers on primetime in the wild-card round. The NFL announced that the Patriots and Chargers will occupy the 8 p.m. slot on Sunday, Jan. 11. Their game will air on NBC and Peacock.

The Patriots will face several division winners in 2026, including the Broncos, Jaguars, Steelers, and Seahawks. The post Patriots to face 8 playoff teams in daunting 2026 schedule appeared first on Boston.

If the New England Patriots benefited from an easy schedule this year, coach Mike Vrabel’s team will run a much tougher gauntlet in 2026.

The 2025 Patriots had the NFL’s lowest strength of schedule (.391), but multiple players scoffed at the notion that they’d played a soft slate. Stefon Diggs was the latest following New England’s 38-10 beatdown of the Dolphins, and Drake Maye was also dismissive when asked about it last week.