Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — When the New England Patriots win the pregame coin toss, they rarely elect to receive the opening kickoff. Coach Bill Belichick prefers to defer that option to the start of the second half.
But when the Patriots won the toss before their A.F.C. divisional playoff game against the upstart Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, they broke tradition and asked for the football immediately.
It was not impatience. Instead, the Patriots were eager to show the Chargers’ defense just what they had in store for them. That is the moment when the Chargers, a team considered among the best in the N.