The New England Patriots are back in the playoffs, and the wild card schedule makes it clear that they are one of the best teams in the league.

Miami Dolphins v New England Patriots – NFL 2025 | Winslow Townson/GettyImages

The New England Patriots wrapped up a special regular season on Sunday, improving to 14-3 with a blowout victory over the New York Jets. The 2025 regular season was the return of the Patriots, as they reclaimed the throne of the AFC East, and are entering the postseason as the No. 2 seed in the division. New England finished with the same record as the top-seeded Denver Broncos, but the tiebreaker gave Denver the bye.

That means New England will be in action on Wild Card weekend, hosting the Los Angeles Chargers. The Patriots will play the Chargers on Sunday, January 11, at 8 p.m. ET, on NBC and Peacock. The Sunday, primetime slot gives New England the opportunity to officially announce its return to the postseason in a big way.

Patriots will host Chargers in Wild Card round on Sunday Night Football

The NFL is giving fans three days of action for Wild Card weekend, with two games on Saturday, a triple header on Sunday, and a Monday Night Football game to wrap the action up. New England has the privilege of being the finale for Sunday’s triple header, in what should be a good game against the Chargers.

While L.A. is the seventh seed, they are an 11-win team, that will enter the playoffs well rested. The Chargers decided to sit key players in their Week 18 matchup against the No. 1 Denver Broncos. While Los Angeles did lose, the team will be physically ready to go against the Patriots Sunday night.

Time will tell if that matters at all, as New England has been one of the league’s best teams all season. While the Patriots and the Chargers didn’t meet each other during the regular season, New England was dominant enough throughout the year that there is a confidence level surrounding the team entering the playoffs. Of course, people have questioned the Patriots’ strength of schedule all year, but Sunday’s game will be a primetime opportunity to show none of that maters.

Sunday will be New England’s first postseason action since 2021, when the team lost in the Wild Card round to the Buffalo Bills. The Patriots are a much better team than they were then, so the outcome is expected to be significantly different.