The Patriots spent last week in Southern California as they prepared to meet the Chargers. And while the usually laser-focused Bill Belichick and Tom Brady were just that during the game -- one in which the Patriots would win, 23-14 -- both noticed the large number of New England fans at Qualcomm Stadium.

“They were just all kind of in the same spot (behind the Patriots' bench), it was almost like a college game in a neutral site, where one side of the field is one team and the other side is the other team,” Belichick told reporters, via ESPN.com. “It wasn’t quite like that, but we had all those fans right behind us. They were loud and vocal. ...

“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?’” said Belichick, who seemed surprised by the development. “And it was us making a good play and our fans cheering.

“It was a little bit of a different sensation. But the crowd was -- it was an electric night. The crowd had a lot of energy. ... “The support and the fans that we had at the game and all of them there behind us was awesome. It was great.”

Brady added: “I ran out for pregame warm-ups and everyone was going crazy,” he told WEEI in Boston. “I couldn’t believe it with all the fans that were right behind our bench. Just throughout the game we would make big plays on defense or offense and the crowd would just be going crazy. The way our fans supported us and traveled out there to make that trip, it was really neat. It was pretty cool. I’ve never seen anything like that.”

The Patriots face the Dolphins on Sunday and can clinch the AFC East title with a win.