In a challenging season culminating in a 16-3 loss to the New England Patriots during the NFL wild-card playoff round, the Los Angeles Chargers faced yet another significant setback. Head Coach Jim Harbaugh, while expressing a belief in the team’s eventual success, appeared cautious in his post-game remarks. “Those that stay will be champions,” he told his players, framing the defeat not as a conclusion but as an opportunity for a fresh start. Yet, his somber tone somewhat contradicted his message of optimism.
Quarterback Justin Herbert, a pivotal figure for the Chargers, reflected a more uncertain outlook on the team’s playoff prospects. Following the game, Herbert revealed his doubts when asked if he still believed he could lead the Chargers to a playoff win, responding plainly, “I don’t know.” He acknowledged the need for reassessment, saying, “I haven’t figured it out yet, and it hasn’t happened. So we’ll have to re-evaluate it and see what happens.”
Herbert’s playoff history remains a point of concern. The Chargers have not won a postseason game since their 2018 wild-card victory, which was followed by a loss to the Patriots the next week. This most recent defeat continues an unbroken string of postseason disappointments for the franchise.
In Sunday’s match, Herbert completed 19 of 31 passes, totaling 159 yards, and led the team in rushing with 57 yards on 10 scrambles. However, he was hindered by six sacks, resulting in a loss of 39 yards. Despite his efforts, the Chargers’ offense was limited to just a single field goal during the game.
The Chargers found themselves in Patriots territory on only two occasions. The first came early in the first quarter after Daiyan Henley intercepted a tipped pass from Drake Maye, setting up Los Angeles at New England’s 10-yard line. Yet, the drive faltered at the 2-yard line, and Harbaugh’s decision to attempt a fourth-down conversion ended unsuccessfully with Herbert’s incomplete pass.
Herbert admitted the offense’s failure to capitalize on scoring chances, stating, “We just have to be able to score and we didn’t do that today. That’s on us as an offense. When we get those opportunities we have to do everything we can to get ball in the end zone, and we let the defense down today.”
The Chargers’ conversion struggles extended beyond scoring. Despite being the league’s top team on third down this season with 115 successful conversions, they managed only one out of ten attempts in Sunday’s game. Their fourth-down performance was similarly limited, converting only one of three tries. The lone successful third-down play was a decisive 1-yard quarterback sneak by Herbert after a replay overturned the original ruling of the play falling short.
This marks the second consecutive game in which the Chargers failed to score a touchdown. When questioned about offensive coordinator Greg Roman’s role in play-calling, Harbaugh was noncommittal, saying, “Right now I don’t have the answers.” He took responsibility for the team’s performance without providing a definitive plan for changes, indicating that team evaluation and adjustments were forthcoming: “We’re going to look at that, at everything. It really falls on me that we weren’t at our best tonight. I don’t have the answers. I wish I did. We’ll work hard. It’ll be a new beginning.”
Adding to the team’s challenges, Herbert had been playing with a broken bone in his left hand—his non-throwing hand—sustained during a Nov. 30 victory over the Raiders. Despite the injury, Herbert continued to play through the damage, leading the Chargers to four consecutive wins afterward. He sat out the regular-season finale to recover, returning for the playoff game against the Patriots, where he struggled to overturn his past playoff misfortunes.
During the game, Herbert missed several passes and was sacked multiple times when receivers were not open. He was twice strip-sacked, losing one fumble in a critical sequence that cost the Chargers nearly two and a half minutes of game time and 46 yards in field position at a juncture when two touchdowns were necessary to mount a comeback.
Herbert credited the training staff for preparing him to play safely despite his injury, saying, “The training staff did a great job getting me ready to go. As long as they felt safe and comfortable—and I did as well—there was no issues. Just have to do a better job holding on to the ball.” Harbaugh praised Herbert’s resilience in the face of physical adversity, calling him a “warrior” who “just gives it everything he has, all the time.” The coach acknowledged the impact of the hand injury but noted Herbert’s unwavering determination throughout the game.