During the game on Sunday, CBS showed one of those "in-game" highlight packages for Tom Brady, showing about 8 of his completions.
I swear to God every single one of them was a 7 yard out pattern. Brady, while very good, is not infallible. He will be harassed by the front 7 of San Diego. If the Pats are in 3rd and long situations, I don't think they'll move the chains as easily as they did against the Jets.
The Patriots front 7, as a unit, is better than SD's. But LT is better than Dillon/Maroney. I see this game being very competitive, but I think the reason SD will win is Antonio Gates. The Patriots don't have anyone that can match up with him, and if Marty keeps Rivers in positions where he can be successful and use players like Gates as a safety net, then I think Rivers will avoid mistakes and the Chargers will be successful on offense.
If the Chargers get out to an early lead, they'll win. They're more talented than the Patriots and a quick start will do wonders for their confidence. If the Patriots can hang in during the first 15 minutes, then they've got a real good shot at the win due to their playoff experience.
Still, I like LT and the Chargers. They're better this year than last year, and last year they hung 40 on the Pats. Chargers should win, maybe a score like 31-24.