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Kris Rhim
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The 2025 season was supposed to be different for the Los Angeles Chargers, a team that made an improbable playoff run despite injuries to some of its best players.
But it ended like it always has for this era of the franchise, with a dejected Justin Herbert taking responsibility for an uncharacteristically poor performance in a playoff loss. This time it came in the form of a 16-3 defeat to the New England Patriots.
«I didn’t play well enough and didn’t make any plays,» he said. «And when it mattered most, we didn’t score any points.»
Herbert finished 19-of-31 passing, with 159 yards and no touchdowns. He led the Chargers in rushing with 55 yards.
Herbert has been one of the league’s best quarterbacks all season, navigating behind one of the league’s worst offensive lines and willing the Chargers to eleven wins. But on Sunday, he looked far from the player he had been all season.
On the Chargers’ opening drive, for example, he had a wide-open Ladd McConkey running across the field for what likely would have been at least a significant gain, if not a touchdown, but scrambled for a nine-yard gain instead. On a third and 7 in the third quarter, McConkey had sprinted past the Patriots’ secondary, but Herbert underthrew him. Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones Davis broke up the pass.
K’Lavon Chaisson, who pounced on Herbert while he was on the field.
«Quarterback play wasn’t good enough,» Herbert said.
Herbert is winless in the postseason, with each of his three losses coming in particularly embarrassing fashion and highlighted by poor performances that don’t match his regular season play. At his best, he looks like one of the league’s best quarterbacks. He earned his second Pro Bowl honours this season because of that. But Herbert hasn’t yet shown up in the postseason.
When asked about his confidence in himself to get his first career playoff win eventually, he didn’t have a clear answer.
«Yeah, I don’t know. I haven’t figured it out yet, and it hasn’t happened,» he said. «So, we’ll have to reevaluate and see what happens.»
While Herbert struggled, the Chargers’ defense kept them in the game. The Chargers’ defensive line put pressure on Maye throughout the game, sacking him five times and forcing two turnovers.
Outside linebacker Odafe Oweh, whom the Chargers traded for in October, finished with three sacks, a single-game postseason franchise record, and a forced fumble. It wasn’t until 9 minutes and 52 seconds left in the fourth quarter that the Patriots got in the end zone when Maye found tight end Hunter Henry for a 28-yard score.
«We let the defense down today,» he said.
The Chargers are now 0-2 in the postseason under Harbaugh with abysmal offensive performances. This offense has scored just two touchdowns over its two playoff games. Harbaugh was asked multiple times Sunday if offensive coordinator Greg Roman was the right person to be calling plays and he repeatedly said he didn’t have an answer.
«We’re going to look at that and everything,» he said.
Harbaugh defended Herbert’s performance, calling him a «warrior.» In the locker room, teammates did the same, lauding Herbert’s toughness amid six sacks and a season where he played through a fractured left hand.
«I don’t think he did anything wrong,» right guard Mekhi Becton said, adding that «when we’ve got No. 10 back there, we can do anything.»
