Patriots Thump Chargers, On To KC [VIDEO]
The New England Patriots scored a touchdown on their first four drives and went on to put away the Los Angeles Chargers 41-28. The Pats are headed to a record breaking 8th straight AFC championship game.
After winning the coin toss, the Patriots decided to take the ball.
Good decision.
The opening drive took almost half of the first quarter, 14 plays with a one-yard touchdown run by Sony Michel at the end.
Michel finished with three TDs, 129 rushing yards on 24 carries.
The Patriots led 35-7 at halftime.
Tom Brady had a brilliant day, passing for 343 yards and a TD. He was 34-for-44 with no picks.
Julien Edelman and James White were his favorite targets. Edelman caught nine passes for 151 yards. White caught 15 passes for 97.
Philip Rivers threw for 331 yards but a lot of it was in garbage time. The Patriots defense hurried and roughed him up all day. The Chargers gained only 19 yards on the ground.
Now it's on to Kansas City for the Patriots. The top two seeds play for the right to go to the Super Bowl. Remember the Pats beat KC in Foxboro in game six for the season 43-40.