Chargers vs. Patriots Expert Picks for Wild Card Weekend: NFL Predictions, Best Bets & Odds

New England hosts Los Angeles for the NFL Wild Card Weekend nightcap, and I'm dropping my Patriots vs. Chargers expert picks to get you set for the 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough as part of our NFL playoff predictions (NBC). 

The Bills were 1.5-point favorites, but the spread has flipped in favor of the Jaguars. Will Jacksonville take down Josh Allen at home? Let's dig in.

🏈 Chargers vs. Patriots expert picks: NFL Wild Card Weekend predictions

See the latest NFL odds and our experts' NFL picks for every game this season.

🔮 Chargers vs. Patriots prediction

Patriots -3.5 (-108)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Liam Fox: The Patriots have all the pieces to go on a deep playoff run, starting with NFL MVP contender Drake Maye.

The second-year quarterback led the league in completion percentage, yards per attempt, and passer rating while spearheading one of the most-efficient offenses

While I don't expect Maye to be at his best against a strong Chargers defense, he has the better weapons and coaching than his counterpart, Justin Herbert.

See Liam Fox's full analysis in his Chargers vs. Patriots prediction piece, including his favorite player prop bet and the best Wild Card Weekend betting trends, injury report, and more.

🔥 Best Chargers vs. Patriots player prop pick

Drake Maye Under 242.5 passing yards (-114) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dustin Saracini: Maye has gone over this number in two of his last three games, yes, but the Chargers own a top-five passing defense and are going to make the MVP candidate work for his yards come Sunday night. We all know the Patriots have had one of the easiest schedules in football; there's going to be some type of adjustment period early on as Maye faces the toughest team he's seen this season. If the Pats jump ahead, watch them lean on their potent run game as the fourth quarter rolls around.  

See Dustin Saracini's full analysis in his Chargers vs. Patriots player props piece, including his best bet for Justin Herbert and TreVeyon Henderson tonight.

🙌 Best Chargers vs. Patriots anytime touchdown scorer pick

Omarion Hampton anytime touchdown scorer (+310) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mike Spector: I expect a run-heavy approach from the Chargers in this game. Justin Herbert has been playing with a fractured hand since Week 13, and took a career-high 54 sacks while being hit on a league-high 129 dropbacks.

Omarion Hampton may not be 100% as he deals with a new ankle injury. But this is still a Patriots defense that allows touchdowns in the red zone 68% of the time, the third-worst rate in the NFL. 

Hampton scored a touchdown in four of the nine games he played this season, including each of the last two, making these plus-money odds appealing.

See Mike Spector's full analysis in his Chargers vs. Patriots anytime touchdown prediction for Wild Card Weekend, including Hunter Henry and Kayshon Boutte. 

🚀 Chargers vs. Patriots same-game parlay

Here's a look at what our NFL expert Brenden Schaeffer is betting tonight with his best Wild Card round SGP paying out at +435 odds:

Best SGP odds: +435 via DraftKings ($10 to win $43.50)

See Brenden Schaeffer's full analysis in his Chargers vs. Patriots same-game parlay, including his analysis for all three SGP bets for the Wild Card round.

📊 Chargers vs. Patriots odds: NFL Wild Card Round

Want more NFL betting advice? Check out all of our NFL analysis and expert predictions for every game this season.

📺 How to watch Chargers vs. Patriots: NFL Wild Card Round

• Date: Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026
• Kickoff: 8:15 p.m. ET
• Location: EverBank Stadium (Jacksonville, FL.)
• TV: NBC

🔮 Expert picks for Chargers vs. Patriots

• Chargers vs. Patriots prediction
• Chargers vs. Patriots same-game parlay
• Chargers vs. Patriots weather report
• Chargers vs. Patriots player props
• Chargers vs. Patriots AI picks
• Chargers vs. Patriots prediction market
• Anytime touchdown scorer predictions for Chargers vs. Patriots
• Chargers vs. Patriots expert picks