Is this the year the dynasty finally ends?

The New England Patriots came up short in their latest bid for a Lombardi Trophy almost a year ago, and while they're back in the playoff picture, another first-round bye week in the books, they've got maybe the most talented team in the AFC standing in their way. With a trip to the conference championship on the line, the Los Angeles Chargers are set to visit Foxborough this Sunday, and they've got one thing on their minds: Preventing what's been done countless times before and stopping the Pats from another deep run.

On paper, the 2018 season was business as usual for the Patriots, who have appeared in a whopping eight of the last 17 Super Bowls behind the perennially dominant pairing of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. For the 10th year in a row and the 16th time in the last 18 seasons, New England finished atop the AFC East, securing a bye with an 11-5 record. Believe it or not, however, that mark was their worst in almost a decade, and while they went undefeated at home, they also lost a pair of late-season heartbreakers and have sometimes struggled to maintain consistency in the passing game.

The Chargers, meanwhile, look like the better team if you're going just off talent. Quarterback Philip Rivers had a poor finish to the regular season but is otherwise fresh off an MVP-caliber campaign alongside explosive weapons like Melvin Gordon and Keenan Allen, while L.A.'s defense, complete with a dynamic pass-rushing duo and star rookie safety Derwin James, was a big reason the team finished 12-4 -- just behind the division-winning Kansas City Chiefs. Yet they're also about as opposite as the Pats as could be when it comes to playoff history, as the Chargers have advanced past the Divisional Round just once since 1994.

On Sunday, L.A. will get its chance at postseason redemption -- and a path to long-awaited Rivers glory, while the Patriots will get their chance to prove their dynasty remains alive and well.

So who wins Chargers vs. Patriots? And what major x-factor causes one side of the spread to hit hard? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Patriots vs. Chargers spread to jump on, all from a Vegas legend on a profit-making 20-8 run on picks involving these two teams.

How to watch

Date: Sunday, Jan. 13
Time: 1:05 p.m. ET
Location: Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Massachusetts)
Line: Patriots -4
TV: CBS
Stream: Stream on CBS All Access, fuboTV (try for free)
Follow: CBS Sports App