Patriots Vs. Chargers: 5 Things To Know About Sunday's Game

FOXBOROUGH, MA — The New England Patriots play the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC Divisional round Sunday, Jan. 13, at 1:05 p.m. in Gillette Stadium. The winner goes on to the AFC Championship Game against either the Chiefs of Colts to play for a shot at the Super Bowl.

The game will be shown on CBS and heard on WBZ-FM 98.5 The Sports Hub. The Patriots are 4-point favorites (after opening as 5-point favorites) and the over/under is 46.5 points.

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Here are five things to know heading into this weekend:

Closing Time? Not Yet

Every game in this postseason run will be thought of as the the potential sunset for this Patriots era as we know it. Don't buy the hype just yet.

While it's been a particularly trying year for a dynasty built on consistency and discipline, the curtains won't close as long as Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are the centerpieces. Brady, who will be 42 next season, recently said he'll be back for at least 2019. Belichick, 66, is probably more of a risk to call it quits, but he has shown no indication that this is his swan song.

The Gronk Watch

What this could be is the end of the Gronk era. Rob Gronkowski said he was toying with the idea of retirement after the Super Bowl loss to the Eagles, finally came back after a strange offseason, and has looked like a shell of himself the whole way through.

Only 29, Gronkowski's health has always been a major concern. He looks to be at the end of his rope, and even reportedly threatened to retire if he was traded. At this point, every game could be his last. If the Hall of Fame-bound tight end opts to walk, he's got plenty of options ahead of him.

Whether The Weather Turns

The lack of snow has been a winter miracle this year, but New England fans might say an extra prayer for this Sunday to get messy. The National Weather Service's computer models are split on a potential snowstorm Saturday night into Sunday, with one showing a close approach and another showing it missing south.

Tom Brady and the Patriots are almost unbeatable at home it snows, and it would be a particular boost facing a team flying in from balmy LA.

Whether it snows or not, the temperatures are expected to be below freezing with wind - and Brady has been the best cold weather quarterback in NFL history.

No Cakewalk

Patriots fans might usually think of this weekend as one to get together with friends, have a drink, eat some nachos and laugh your way through a Patriots onslaught of some poor overmatched 'Tomato Can.' Don't expect that this week.

The Chargers had a better record than the Patriots, played in a better division, and have a veteran quarterback that - even though he's 0-7 against Tom Brady - is known as one of the most fearless in the league. They've also been the NFL's best road team, including knocking off a tough Ravens squad in Baltimore last week with relative ease.

Los Angeles is widely considered to be a better football team than the Patriots in almost every on-field aspect. The Patriots might need every bit of coaching, weather and mystique advantage they can muster.

History Lesson

What happened last time the Patriots played the Chargers in the playoffs?

Well, they were the San Diego Chargers, not the Los Angeles Chargers. And they were once again perhaps the more talented all-around team.

But with a chance to ice the game after Marlon McCree intercepted Brady late in the fourth quarter, Troy Brown provided one of the most memorable plays in the last 17 years.

(Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

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