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Chargers vs. Patriots gets unexpected illness bug storyline before playoff matchup

Originally posted on Los Angeles Chargers on SI
By Chris Roling | Last updated Jan 8, 2026 11:00 AM ET

The Los Angeles Chargers have their fair share of injury bug concerns going into the playoff matchup with the New England Patriots on Sunday night.

What Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers don’t have, at least as of this writing, is an illness making its way through the locker room impacting availability during practices leading up to the postseason clash.

While the Chargers have injuries to Omarion Hampton and others to monitor, the Patriots suddenly had a handful of players down in the middle of the week missing practice due to illness.

Chargers vs. Patriots illness update, impact

In the middle of the week, the Patriots announced that four players couldn’t practice on Wednesday due to illness.

The players:

OT Morgan Moses
C Garrett Bradbury
OT Vederian Lowe
OLB Anfernee Jennings

There’s plenty of time between the first practice of the week and kickoff on Sunday night, of course.

But these are big deals for the Patriots. Morgan Moses has played more than 94 percent of the snaps this year in front of Drake Maye. Garrett Bradbury is at nearly 98 percent. They’ve appeared in every game and played more snaps than anyone else on the offensive line.

Mike Vrabel said several Patriots players are dealing with an illness, including Morgan Moses, Garrett Bradbury, Vederian Lowe, and Anfernee Jennings. pic.twitter.com/wMRgWq02Wk
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) January 7, 2026

Chargers fans know better than most about how important continuity on the offensive line can be. Harbaugh’s team has rolled out 20-plus different lineups along the line in front of Justin Herbert this year due to injuries and the miserable results for the unit speak for themselves.

Maybe the Patriots line is fully healthy by kickoff, sure. But the disruption of reps going into a playoff game against the likes of Chargers pass-rushers such as Khalil Mack certainly registers as notable.

It’s certainly a factor to watch for the remainder of the week and something to keep in mind for a Maye passing attack that loves to have quality pockets so he can air it out deep often.