Shaun Phillips: The better team wins this one

Most battles are won or lost before they are ever played. Some people try and cram the night before a big exam. You can't do that with football. The night before games I just kind of relax and go over things visually in my head. I have to try and stay calm because I start to get anxiety and can't sleep. In order for me to sleep I have to stay up all day and most of the night.

This is our biggest game of the year because it's the one that we are playing today. The Pats have been one of the most dominant teams of the decade, and we have had some great games. The stakes are still the same. They lose their best offensive player and we lose our best defensive player. This is a game that's going to come down to who is the better team.

This will be our first complete game of the year, I can feel it. So all of you fantasy football fanatics, start everyone on the Chargers.

-- Shaun Phillips

Photo: Shaun Phillips, after a sack earlier this season, expects another great game against the New England Patriots on Sunday. Credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times