With the regular season behind them, the New England Patriots and LA Chargers have a 2026 playoff showdown on tap Sunday. The teams close out a weekend full of postseason NFL football with a primetime game at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

The No. 2 seeded Patriots host the No. 7 Chargers in what will be the final game of a Sunday tripleheader in a game that will feature star quarterbacks Drake Maye and Justin Herbert.

New England won the AFC East this year and enters the game with a record of 14-3. The Chargers finished second in the AFC West with a record of 11-6, snagging a wild-card berth.

Where can you stream the Patriots vs. Chargers playoff game?

The game between the Patriots and Chargers will air in primetime as a showcase game of the weekend.

There were games played Saturday, three on Sunday and one coming up on Monday.

You can stream tonight's Sunday Night Football game with the Peacock app.

How can you watch the playoff game on cable?

The Patriots vs. Chargers postseason Sunday Night Football game will air nationally on NBC.  

In Massachusetts, the Patriots-Chargers game will be broadcast on NBC10 Boston. In the Los Angeles area, the game can be found on cable on NBC4.

Exact numbers for your cable channel can vary depending on the TV provider. In addition, channels can differ depending on whether you are watching the game over the air or through a cable/satellite service.   

It will be the usual Sunday Night Football broadcast team on the call for the game. Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth will have play-by-play and color commentary, with sideline reporting done by Melissa Stark.  

Pregame coverage in the Boston area starts at 11:30 a.m. on WBZ-TV. After the game, there will be full reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter after the game on TV38. Postgame will include news conferences from head coach Mike Vrabel and quarterback Drake Maye and more player reaction.  

Who is favored and predicted to win the Patriots vs. Chargers playoff game?

The Patriots enter the playoff matchup against the Chargers slightly favored in betting markets. According to CBS Sports, New England is the favorite by 3.5 points.

So who are the experts picking? Daniel Lewis and Pete Prisco at CBS Sports both picked New England in close games.

Of the ESPN experts making their picks, six out of seven went with the Patriots to beat the Chargers.

What is the NFL playoff schedule for 2026?

The first weekend of the NFL playoffs began Saturday as the Carolina Panthers hosted the Los Angeles Rams and the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers played for a third time.

Sunday's slate begins at 1 p.m. with the Buffalo Bills traveling to play the Jacksonville Jaguars on CBS. Next up is the San Francisco 49ers at the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles at 4:30 p.m. That leads up to to the Sunday Night Football showdown between the Patriots and Chargers.

The playoffs continue with Monday Night Football at 8 p.m. a day later when the Houston Texans head to face the Pittsburgh Steelers.