If you thought it was extra loud during Sunday night’s Chargers game against the New England Patriots at Qualcomm Stadium, you weren’t alone.
New England coach Bill Belichick said it felt more like a home game, as Pats fans packed the Q, arriving early and cheering on their team all night.
“There were a couple times when I was talking to somebody or talking to one coach or another while the other side of the ball was out there and you hear the fans start yelling and (you’re) like, ‘Uh oh, what happened?’ and it was us making a good play and our fans cheering,” Belichick said. “It was a little bit of a different sensation.”
The parking lot was, if not an even split, pretty close between Pats and Bolts fans. They loudly cheered as Tom Brady led their team onto the field and booed audibly for the Chargers.
Chargers players noticed it too. Quarterback Philip Rivers said the matchup between two playoff contenders felt like a postseason game.
“It definitely had that type of atmosphere,” he said.
The majority of Patriots fans congregated behind the team’s bench, making it that much louder in the stadium.
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“I don’t think I’ve ever quite seen that before,” Belichick said. “They were just all kind of in the same spot.”
Despite the competing fan bases, there were relatively few incidents. The same can’t be said about Monday night’s Packers-Falcons game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, where 11 people were arrested and 36 more ejected from the game.
Maybe it’s the nice weather that kept everyone happy and playing nice in San Diego?
