Long-awaited revenge factor? Chargers face Tom Brady next week

The last time the Chargers saw Tom Brady up close he was on his way to winning another Super Bowl.

They’ll face him Sunday under significantly different circumstances.

The 43-year-old quarterback has won two of his three starts with Tampa Bay after leaving New England following two decades and six Super Bowl titles.

The Buccaneers opened the season with a loss at New Orleans but have bounced back with victories over Carolina at home and at Denver. The Chargers (1-2) just lost Sunday at home to the Panthers.

Chargers

Justin Herbert flashes promise but struggles with turnovers in Chargers’ loss

A strong defensive effort keeps the Chargers in contention, but turnovers and penalties ultimately doom them in a 21-16 loss to the Carolina Panthers.

Sept. 27, 2020

This will be another game the Chargers aren’t expected to win. They were seven-point underdogs as of Monday morning.

Brady and the Patriots defeated the Chargers 41-28 in the AFC divisional round of the playoffs following the 2018 season. Three weeks later, that New England team beat the Rams 13-3 in Super Bowl LIII.

Brady finished 34 of 44 for 343 yards and a touchdown against the Chargers on Jan. 13, 2019, at Gillette Stadium.

There is another twist to this latest encounter: The Chargers and Buccaneers were the final two teams in the running to land Brady as a free agent in the offseason, the future Hall of Famer eventually deciding he preferred to remain on the East Coast.