The New England Patriots and Los Angeles Chargers will meet Sunday at Gillette Stadium for their first playoff battle since the two teams met in back-to-back postseasons in 2006 and 2007.
While the Patriots and Chargers don’t exactly have a lengthy playoff history, the two have at least one memorable playoff moment that Pats fans surely remember: a 24-21 Patriots win in the 2006 AFC Divisional Round that ended with Chargers star running back LaDainian Tomlinson ripping head coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots as classless.
Entering the divisional round, the 14-2 then-San Diego Chargers were the No. 1 seed and the favorites to go to the Super Bowl. Despite not having their best offensive day, the Bolts led 21-13 midway through the fourth quarter and appeared to have the game in hand after Tom Brady threw his third interception of the game. But Troy Brown stripped Marlon McCree and the Patriots recovered the ball to keep the drive alive.
Brady later hit Reche Caldwell for a touchdown and the Patriots converted the two-point conversion to tie the game. Stephen Gostkowski then drilled a 31-yard field goal with 1:10 remaining to send New England to the AFC Championship Game.
After the game, a number of Patriots performed Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman’s “lights-out” dance at midfield, which caused Tomlinson to become irate and confront the Patriots on the field.
During the postgame press conference, Tomlinson took a shot at the Patriots organization.
“You know, I would never, ever react that way,” Tomlinson said after the game. “You guys know me, I’m a very classy person. I’m not going to — I would never have reacted like that, so yes I was very upset. Because when you go to the middle of our field and you start doing the dance that Shawne Merriman is known for, that’s disrespectful to me.
“And I can’t sit there and watch that, and yes, I was very upset. And just the fact of the way, they showed no class at all, absolutely no class and maybe it comes from the head coach, so, you know, there you have it.”
Tomlinson, who was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has said he regretted his comments and apologized to the Patriots head coach.
The Patriots will face their toughest test of the season when the Bolts arrive at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, as LA boasts a ferocious pass rush and a talented core of offensive players for Philip Rivers to give the ball to.
There probably won’t be any postgame dancing at midfield, but Pats-Chargers still will be must-see TV.
