Chargers vs. Patriots: TV Schedule, Predictions for 2019 AFC Divisional Game

The New England Patriots can reach their eighth consecutive AFC Championship Game with a win Sunday over the Los Angeles Chargers in the NFL divisional round.

During New England's remarkable streak, it's dispensed six different opponents, and the Chargers could be the seventh franchise added to that list.

In order to advance to their first AFC title game since 2008, the Chargers have to overcome a poor record versus the Patriots during the Philip Rivers era.

In addition to not having history on their side, the Chargers take on the Patriots with one of their stars dealing with lingering injury issues.

Chargers vs. Patriots Information

Date: Sunday, January 13

Start Time: 1:05 p.m. ET 

TV: CBS 

In addition to CBS, the game can be viewed on FuboTV.

Predictions

Gordon Struggles to Make Impact 

No matter what the Los Angeles injury report says, it's clear that Melvin Gordon isn't at 100 percent.

Gordon, who hasn't hit the triple-digit mark in rushing yards since Week 9, was limited in practice ahead of the game because of a knee injury, per Rachel Gossen of the team's official website.

The good news for the Chargers is Gordon will be fresh for Sunday's game, but one hit to the knee could cause the running back to lose some of his cutting ability out of the backfield.

Although he's found the end zone on four occasions in his past four games, Gordon hasn't run for more than 42 yards in his past three contests.

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

The Chargers need more than that out of the Wisconsin product if they want to challenge the Patriots by keeping the ball out of Tom Brady's hands.

Developing a consistent rushing game is crucial for L.A. to provide balance and to keep New England's defense away from pressuring Rivers on every snap.

In the wild-card victory over the Baltimore Ravens, the Chargers struggled to gain traction on the ground, as Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson combined for 34 yards on 13 carries when Gordon wasn't in the game.

Adding to Gordon's woes will be the success New England's 11th-ranked rushing defense has had at the line of scrimmage.

Although they concede 4.9 yards per attempt, the Patriots let in just seven rushing touchdowns in the regular season, and Gordon won't be able to add to that total, as his advances will be halted before the end zone.

Stopping Gordon allows New England to extend a trend its victories, as the Pats gave up under 100 rushing yards in three of their past four victories, with the one exception coming against the New York Jets in Week 17, when they let up 104 yards on the ground.

Brady Steps into Starring Role for New England 

The performance of young quarterbacks in their first playoff games caught the eye of many, but the most experienced signal-caller of them all will prove why he's still one of the best in the game Sunday.

In four of his past five postseason games, Brady's thrown for more than 300 yards, and he's been picked off on one occasion during that stretch.

If you go back even further, Brady has recorded multiple touchdown passes in 10 of his past 11 postseason games.

Although he will face pressure from the Chargers' young secondary, led by Derwin James, Brady matriculates his way down the field by hitting a wide array of receivers.

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

In the Week 17 win over the Jets, Brady distributed the ball to seven receivers, with Chris Hogan leading the team with six catches.

Between Hogan, Julian Edelman, Phillip Dorsett and Rob Gronkowski, Brady has enough weapons to spread out the Los Angeles defense and pick it apart.

In addition to utilizing his collection of receivers, Brady finds a way to integrate running backs James White and Sony Michel to keep the Chargers off balance for four quarters.

White was particularly dangerous in December, as he caught 20 of the 29 throws targeted in his direction.

If White is able to haul in a few passes out of the backfield to extend drives, the Patriots will be in terrific shape.

The potential X-factor for Brady and his offense could be Gronkowski, who had two 100-yard receiving games in the regular season.

If Gronkowski is able to make a significant impact on the New England offense, the Patriots will be a real threat to move on to the Super Bowl from the AFC Championship Game.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.