Not that anyone would ever be confused, but the Patriots (9-3) are very much in the midst of a business trip this week in San Diego. It’s anything but an early-December vacation week in Southern California.

New England flew west immediately after a 26-21 loss in Green Bay on Sunday night and is spending the week practicing at the University of San Diego in preparation for another big AFC game Sunday against the Chargers (8-4).

The Patriots have used a similar approach in the past, including twice in 2008 when New England had a pair of back-to-back West Coast games.

The decision was made after the NFL schedule was released last spring; and, heading into a game that could have conference playoff seeding ramifications, coach Bill Belichick remains confident it’s the right way to prepare for the game.

“It’s kind of a two-combination thing there,” Belichick said. “One was the travel, going from Green Bay back to Foxborough and then to turn around and come back here probably on Friday (is) just a lot of travel for the team at this time of year. We were able to get in here Sunday night and really have kind of a pretty normal day (Monday) and a normal Tuesday without … any more than normal type of fatigue. And just being acclimated to the conditions that we’re going to be playing in, so (we’ll) get in the conditions out here and go through it for a few days and play on Sunday as close as we can get.”

Beyond just staying fresh and getting acclimated to the conditions a full continent away from Gillette Stadium, Belichick also sees the week as a potential bonding exercise for his squad that’s heading toward another potential postseason run.

“I think it is a good opportunity to be together as a team: players, coaches, young players, veteran players, offense, defense, so forth. I think it’s a good environment for us to prepare for the game and a good opportunity to spend a little bit of extra time together, however that exactly works out,” Belichick said. “Hopefully, it will be all in a positive way for our team and we have a great week of preparation for the Chargers, which is what we’re here for and what our focus is. But as a byproduct of that, if it’s team building and opportunities to build relationships within the team, I think that’s good too.”

“I think it’s an opportunity,” special teams captain Matthew Slater said, “for us to clear our minds, spend a lot of time together and refocus on the task at hand of playing the Chargers this week. It is kind of a team-building experience, so hopefully we can make the most of it.”

That won’t be easy to do on the field. While New England is annually one of the best teams in the game late in the season, the same is very much true of the Chargers. Both teams have identical 17-3 records in December dating back to 2009.

San Diego is coming off an impressive comeback win in Baltimore. New England is coming off a failed comeback in Green Bay that snapped a seven-game winning streak.

Each team is within striking distance of the No. 1 seed in the conference, a possible first-round bye or ending up playing on wild card weekend.

The Patriots previously dispatched the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts in big AFC showdowns. After stumbling Sunday in Green Bay, this Sunday represents a chance to get back on track and try to maintain hold on the No. 1 seed in the AFC, a finality the team can claim by winning out over the final month.

“We have an opportunity to maybe just spend a little bit of down time later in the week with one another — players, coaches — and it’s just something that gives you an opportunity to clear some of the other distractions away and just put your focus solely on what you need to do this week to try to do your best on game day,” offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said. “It’s been something we’ve enjoyed doing in the past … and we’re looking forward to the next four or five days here of preparation and then hopefully be ready to roll on Sunday.”

SERIES HISTORY: Patriots lead 20-14-2. As former AFL rivals, the Patriots (Boston and New England) and Chargers have a long history. The teams met twice annually throughout the 1960s, and actually faced off in the 1963 AFL Championship game, which San Diego dominated 51-10. Since the NFL merger, the Patriots have dominated the series, with 15 wins in the last 18 meetings, including a pair of playoff games. Those two postseason contests came in just over a year as the Patriots advanced to the AFC title game in 2006 with a surprising comeback win over the Chargers in San Diego, 24-21. The following January, Belichick’s team continued its undefeated run to the Super Bowl with a 21-12 triumph in the AFC title game in Foxborough. The Chargers have won two of the four games played in San Diego in the Belichick era.

NOTES: Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels reportedly is a potential candidate for the coaching job at the University of Florida, but he said, “My focus is solely on the Chargers and getting our team ready to go this week on offense and trying to do the best thing I can.” … WR Aaron Dobson did not practice Wednesday due to the hamstring injury suffered in the second half Sunday in Green Bay.