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COSTA MESA Michael Schofield Color Rush Jersey , Calif. (AP) — dy played in most of the toughest road environments in the NFL this season.So a trip to New England for Sunday’s AFC divisional-round game isn’t anything out of the ordinary.Considering how well the Chargers have played away from home, it may end up being an advantage. Los Angeles is 8-1 on the road, but its only loss came in Week 3, when it took the bus to the LA Memorial Coliseum and lost to the Rams.“We’ve found a way. We’ve won in a lot of different ways on the road this year — in some tough environments,” Rivers said. “We’ve won with big defensive stops and a couple of two-minute end-of-game drives. Kind of all different ways.”They join the 1984 and ’89 San Francisco 49ers as the only West squads to win five regular-season and/or postseason games going East or farther.Only 16 times since the merger has a team from the west won four or more games coming East or over the Atlantic. The 2013 49ers were the previous team to do it, going 4-0 which included a game in London.Coach Anthony Lynn credited the team’s road routine, which includes traveling on Friday afternoon for long road trips, and having a young team has helped galvanize them.“I hope that shows we are an extraordinary team,” offensive tackle Russell Okung said. “I think anytime you beat a team on the road it proves a lot about one’s execution. Going in tough, hostile environments only adds to our confidence.”The Chargers’ 23-17 win last week against Baltimore in the AFC wild-card round was their best road game this season as they sacked Lamar Jackson seven times and held him to 26 passing yards in the first three quarters. Rivers threw for 160 yards and completed passes to nine players.The road resume also includes rallying from 16 points down to beat Pittsburgh on Dec. 2, which ended the Steelers’ 175-game unbeaten streak with at least a 16-point lead at home and marked the largest blown lead at home in franchise history.The road success also included a 29-28 victory at Kansas City on Dec. 13 where the Chargers trailed by two touchdowns midway through the fourth quarter and a 25-17 victory over Seattle on Nov. 4 where they needed a pass deflection in the end zone on the final play.“Our guys are hardened to a certain degree about playing in tough spots. Being down, being able to come back and win those games, that can help Tyrell Williams Color Rush Jersey , I guess, as much as anything to prepare you for it,” offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt said.While the Chargers have thrived in hostile environments, Sunday’s game against the Patriots might be their biggest challenge yet.New England has won eight straight playoff home games, which is tied for the fourth-longest streak in NFL history. The Patriots have also won seven straight home games in the divisional round.“We do special things on the road. That’s a fact, not an opinion,” defensive tackle Damion Square said. “Tom (Brady) has been able to do a lot of really good things in his career but history doesn’t win games. Sunday is about proving we have enough. You rely on the guys you have with you and rely on your fundamentals.”Lynn does have experience beating the Patriots in the playoffs. He was the Jets’ running backs coach when they defeated New England 28-21 eight years ago in the divisional round. While many have focused on the Patriots’ mystique, Lynn said he is keeping his team concentrating on what they need to do to win.“We definitely can’t make mistakes. That team cannot beat themselves and I respect that about their organization. That’s a skill and an advantage they’ve had for a long time,” he said.Even though the Chargers have had three cold-weather games since Dec. 1, they have lucked out in that it hasn’t been frigid or snowing. Sunday’s forecast does have a chance of snow, which is the one thing they can’t simulate.“In California you can’t prepare for that. You know, 29, 30 (degrees) whatever it’s supposed to be Derek Watt Color Rush Jersey , to me, that’s good football weather. So it might be cold, breezy, but we’ll be fine,” Lynn said. LONDON (AP) — The Los Angeles Chargers believe running back Melvin Gordon will be able to return after the bye week from a hamstring injury that kept him out of their game against the Tennessee Titans.Even without Gordon, the Chargers edged the Titans 20-19 at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.Gordon, who entered the weekend third in the league with 466 rushing yards, was added to the injury report on Saturday. He was held out of practice a day earlier after the Chargers crossed the Atlantic for what coach Anthony Lynn said was a precautionary measure.The running back warmed up before the game, but Lynn decided that he wasn’t ready for a full workload against Tennessee and hopes to have him back when Los Angeles travels to face the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 4.“Obviously, we’re better with Melvin Gordon, but I just felt like I had to protect him today because I don’t want this to be a lingering thing,” Lynn said. “I want to get him back for Seattle and he’s got a bye week off. He’ll be rehabbing and getting healthy, and hopefully Travis Benjamin Color Rush Jersey , we’ll have a full-speed Melvin back in a couple weeks.”The Chargers handed a first career start to second-year running back Austin Ekeler, who finished with 42 yards on 12 carries and also caught five passes for 26 yards.Gordon ran for 132 yards and three touchdowns in the road win against the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 14 and had surpassed 100 rushing yards in two of his last three games.Behind Gordon, Los Angeles had the league’s fifth-ranked rushing offense at 137.3 yards per game but was held to just 47 yards on the ground by Tennessee’s 26th-ranked run defense.“Frustrated,” Gordon said after the win. “I’ll be back next game.”Here’s what else we learned in the Chargers’ victory:PLAYING TO WINTitans coach Mike Vrabel said he will continue to coach aggressively after the go-ahead 2-point conversion failed with 31 seconds remaining.Vrabel has made several aggressive play calls since being hired as the Titans’ coach before this season and acknowledged that the decision to go for it was inspired in part by the team’s two-game losing streak.“I’m just trying to do what’s best for the team,” Vrabel said. “I’m trying to find a way to win a football game and haven’t done a very good job the last three weeks.”The Titans only allowed quarterback Marcus Mariota to be sacked twice after he was dropped 11 times in the 21-0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the previous game, and Derrick Henry scored Tennessee’s first touchdown since the closing minutes of the road loss to the Buffalo Bills on Oct. 7.“Getting in the end zone was a huge step forward for us, but obviously, it’s all for nothing if you don’t win the game,” left tackle Taylor Lewan said.EYES ON THE PRIZEQuarterback Philip Rivers said that the victory, which moved the Chargers to 5-2 this season, will galvanize the team as it prepares to chase down the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.The Chargers have reached the playoffs just once in the last eight seasons and narrowly missed out last year after finishing 9-7.“Everybody enjoys winning, but (this team enjoys) winning together,” Rivers said. “It’s as excited as I’ve seen a locker room postgame in a while — just the energy. It’s hard to win in this league.”SHARPER IMAGETitans wide receiver Tajae Sharpe could return from the bye week with a greater role in the offense after catching seven passes for a career-high 101 yards Keenan Allen Color Rush Jersey , including five for 75 yards on third down, on Sunday.“The more you perform and you make players, the more opportunities come your way,” Vrabel said. “Being able to convert third downs in this league is critical, and so Tajae has been a great asset for us to convert those.”Sharpe, in his third year out of UMass, missed all of last season with a foot injury. He had not caught seven passes in a game since his debut on Sept. 11, 2016, when he had 76 yards in a 25-16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.