Patriots beat Chargers to reach eighth AFC Championship Game in a row

The New England Patriots playing in the AFC Championship Game is a yearly January football tradition.

The Pats beat the Los Angeles Chargers 41-28 in their AFC Divisional Round playoff game at Gillette Stadium on Sunday to reach the AFC Championship Game for the eighth consecutive season. They will play the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday with a berth in Super Bowl LIII on the line.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. ET. The NFC Championship Game will be played earlier in the afternoon at 3:05 p.m. ET.

The last time the Patriots didn't play in the AFC title game was 2010. They will make their 15th AFC Championship Game appearance as a franchise. New England has a 10-4 AFC title game record.

Winning on the road in the AFC Championship Game has been a tough task for the Patriots. The last time they accomplished that feat was in the 2004 season against the Pittsburgh Steelers. New England has played in three AFC title games on the road since that 2004 victory and lost twice to the Broncos in Denver and once to the Colts in Indianapolis.

Going into Kansas City might be the Patriots' toughest test, but based on how they played against the Chargers, it would be tough to pick against Tom Brady and Bill Belichick on Sunday.

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