Patriots’ keys to victory against the Chargers

The New England Patriots will need to find success in a number of key areas if they hope to prevail against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

Will it snow or won’t it?

That’s just one of many pressing questions New Englanders are pondering as the clock ticks closer and closer to kick-off time at Gillette this weekend. The Patriots will host the Chargers in an AFC playoff divisional round matchup at 1:05 pm EST on Sunday.

The current weather forecast for Foxborough (as of Thursday evening) no longer calls for snow flurries, but it does predict cloudy skies and temperatures ranging in the low 30s/high 20s. So if you’re planning on going to the game to support your team, you’d better bundle up, because it’s going to be cold!

The frigid conditions would seemingly favor the Patriots over the Chargers. While New England didn’t play in any snow games this season, most of the current roster is used to playing in cold, inclement weather. Coach Belichick has routinely made his players practice outdoors in seasons past, and this year is no exception. The team held its practice outside today as mild snow flurries swirled around the field.

Even without snow, ice, or other precipitation, Patriots players will be primed and ready for whatever conditions they face on Sunday. The Chargers, on the other hand, are getting in their reps in Southern California, where the local temperature has hovered around the mid-60s all week.

That’s not to say L.A. players and coaches won’t be ready for the cold; just that they might need to make more of an adjustment to it than their counterparts from New England.

Along with the weather, there are a number of key factors that will determine if the Patriots advance past the Chargers to their eighth consecutive conference title game appearance… or if their offseason begins sooner than anticipated.