Throwback Thursday: A look back at the last time the Chargers beat the New England Patriots

The Los Angeles Chargers are set to put their three-game winning streak on the line this Sunday against the defending Super Bowl champions.

It will be a huge challenge for the team, as it will make a cross-country trip to meet the New England Patriots.

Since Tom Brady took over as the Patriots’ quarterback, he holds a 7-3 record against the Chargers. That includes wins in two of the Chargers’ most frustrating postseason losses in team history. On top of that, New England has taken six of the last seven meetings.

But in October 2008, nine years ago, the Chargers got one on New England. That’s the subject of this Throwback Thursday (which is leaning more towards Friday, but oh well.)

The game was played at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego and the Chargers were able to do something few teams do to Brady, Bill Belichick and the Pats. They blew them out. Of course, this was the season where Brady was injured for the year in the Patriots’ season opener.

So Matt Cassel was the quarterback in the Chargers’ 30-10 win. Cassel played well that season but this wasn’t his best game. The Chargers forced an interception while sacking him four times.

On the other side, Philip Rivers had a great day. He threw for 306 yards and had touchdown passes to Malcom Floyd, Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates as the Bolts took a 27-3 lead into the fourth quarter.

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That’s the kind of deficit you almost never see Belichick and his club face. Of course, this was the first meeting between the teams after the AFC Championship Game the year prior, so the Chargers had a little revenge on their minds.

It was a great day for the Chargers and one that long time fans likely look back fondly on. The good news is that they have handed the Patriots a loss of that magnitude before. The bad news is that the Chargers haven’t beaten Brady since 2005. On that day, the Bolts went into Foxborough and pounded the Patriots 41-17. But the quarterback for the Chargers that day was Drew Brees.

In other words, the next time Rivers beats Brady in a head-to-head matchup, it will be the first time.