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Chargers’ Justin Herbert on winless playoff run: ‘I let the team down’

NY TIMESBy

HOUSTON — Justin Herbert sat motionless in a chair in front of his locker, hands on his knees and a blank stare on his face. It doesn’t look like it, but he’s listening.

Defensive lineman Morgan Fox sat on the floor to Herbert’s right. Fox was talking in a low voice to the Los Angeles Chargers quarterback.

“I just told him I was proud of him,” Fox said. “I don’t want to start a war with anybody. He’s probably the best quarterback I’ve ever played with. He’s great. He’s extremely talented. Just tell him to keep his head up.

About a minute later, Fox suddenly appeared, gave Herbert a hug, and walked to the lockers on the other side of the room.

Then Herbert was alone. Leave your own thoughts behind. It left the overwhelming sting of another early playoff exit.

The Chargers lost to the Houston Texans 32-12 on Saturday at NRG Stadium. The dramatic comeback engineered by coach Jim Harbaugh ended with a whimper in the wild-card round. Herbert threw four interceptions. He has never turned the ball over more than twice in any game in his career.

“I let the team down,” Herbert said.

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Texans beat Herbert four times in wild-card round 32-12: Highlights

Herbert always took responsibility after a failure. Most of the time, he’s just being a good teammate. This time, his judgment was accurate.

He had the worst game of his career in the biggest game of his career.

“No one feels worse than me,” Herbert said.

What awaits us is the inevitable flood of doubts and criticism. It’s the nature of the position he plays. Such is the nature of the massive contract he signed.

He’ll have to listen to the noise for at least another 12 months until his next potential chance at a playoff win.

Herbert was brilliant. No quarterback in NFL history has thrown for more yards in five seasons. He did things on the football field that few, if any, could do. But ultimately, athletes are judged by how they perform when the lights are brightest and a championship hangs in the balance. Herbert has languished on the big stage and is now 0-2 in the postseason.

Herbert last played in the postseason in 2022. The Chargers collapsed. Late in the first half of that game, Herbert missed Keenan Allen wide open in the end zone. But Herbert’s performance was good enough for the Chargers to win. They couldn’t run the ball in the second half. As part of a defensive breakdown, they committed one crushing penalty after another.

Saturday was different. No amount of nuance or context can explain this. Herbert looked nervous. He made unusually bad decisions. His pitches were unusually inaccurate.

Herbert had three interceptions in 504 tackles during the regular season. His four interceptions against the Texans came on 32 attempts. He completed just 14 passes. His 43.8 completion percentage was the worst of his career. His average expected points per dropback is minus-0.59, according to TruMedia, which is the lowest mark of any game he’s started and finished in his career.

Harbaugh said Herbert played “like usual.”

“A total beast,” Harbaugh added.

But that’s not the case.

Early in the second quarter, the Chargers led 6-0. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud threw a ball down the left sideline to no one in particular. Cornerback Deane Leonard was waiting, coming down on the interception and tapping his toes inside along the sideline.

The Chargers took over at the Texans’ 40-yard line. On the first play of the possession, the Chargers pushed Herbert to the right side in a designed fashion. Herbert’s face was filled with stress the entire game. He lost his balance on a corner route and went all the way across the field to receiver Quentin Johnston. This is an unnecessary risk. It was overturned. Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter picked it off. The Chargers needed less than five yards to get within Cameron Dicker’s field goal range. The throw deducted points from the board.

“Got to do a better job of throwing the ball out, throwing it farther,” Herbert said. “Got to do better, don’t let it get hurt.”

The Chargers are in the right spot going into this one. Harbaugh said after the game that the play should only be called when the Chargers are on the left wing, thus shortening the shot clock.

“I take responsibility for it,” Harbaugh said, even though it was offensive coordinator Greg Roman calling the plays.

Late in the third quarter, the Chargers took over at the 28-yard line, trailing 13-6. Herbert took the shotgun. He looked to his left toward receiver Ladd McConkey, who ran a counter route out of the slot. Herbert Double Pump. He didn’t fully regain his feet. Herbert’s pitch sailed high and through McConkey’s hands. Texans safety Eric Murray caught the ball and returned it for a touchdown.

“I have a responsibility to make better pitches,” Herbert said.

Herbert was intercepted again on the next drive, though it wasn’t his fault. The ball fell out of Will Disley’s hands. The ball went out and Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. intercepted it.

Herbert threw his fourth interception late in garbage time. Receiver DJ Chark is open. Herbert didn’t put enough effort into passing the ball. Stingley, an All-Pro player, received the second overall pick in the game.

“As a quarterback, I have the ability to pass the ball,” Herbert said.

Through the first three quarters, the Chargers offense had one chance after another. The unit wastes everyone.

Most of it is about Herbert, but not all. The Chargers are at a disadvantage at the line of scrimmage. The Texans’ defensive line, including edge rushers Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, dominated the game. Right tackle Joe Alt had one of his worst games of the season. Right guard Jamari Salier was bullied for repeatedly blocking passes. Herbert is either running for his life or shooting on one of his many dropbacks.

“We can’t let Justin get hit that many times,” left guard Zion Johnson said.

But Herbert has been under this kind of pressure before. He did that recently in Week 16 against the Denver Broncos, when he converted 54.1 percent of his dropbacks.

The Chargers desperately need their best playmaker to run the offense. And Herbert failed miserably. He was in no hurry to try. This game will require a scramble to keep Houston’s pass rush off balance.

“He’s got to be able to make the throw,” Harbaugh said. “We didn’t put him in enough position to do that.”

Herbert needs more weapons. McConkey caught nine passes for 197 yards and a touchdown. No other Chargers player caught more than two passes. That has to be a focus for the organization this offseason. It must add receivers and tight ends.

Dissly had a commendable season, but he also had two key turnovers. The interception was his second fumble. The first came on second-and-19 of the first quarter. Safety Alohi Gilman had just caused a fumble on the Texans’ opening drive, allowing the Chargers to get into opposing territory.

Herbert escaped the pressure and found Dissly near the left sideline. Dissly would have been close to the first down yardage. A catch would at least make the ensuing third down more manageable. The Chargers finally hit the field goal.

“We have to score,” said JK Dobbins, who had nine carries for 26 yards, including just one in the second half.

Throughout these three phases, other opportunities were missed. The Texans trailed 6-0 late in the first half and faced third-and-16, backing up within their own 20. The ball is loose. But Stroud was able to catch the ball, escape to the right side and find receiver Xavier Hutchinson for a 34-yard gain. That sparked a 99-yard touchdown drive that ended with a Nico Collins touchdown catch. Collins had seven catches for 122 yards. Cornerback Christian Fulton has a hard time going up against bigger receivers.

Safety Derwin James Jr. said the coverage of Stroud’s tackle and sling was “a little bit off” because of the errant snap.

“It kind of turned the game around,” James said.

“Things went his way,” Gilman said.

Early in the second half, the Chargers faced a fourth-and-2 drive at the Texans’ 34-yard line. They recovered the ball on another turnover, this time a forced fumble, and recovered it from safety Tony Jefferson. Harbaugh did just that. Herbert took the kickoff down the middle and faked a handoff to running back Hassan Haskins. Johnston ran a whip route from the right side and feinted to the inside before cutting into the flat. Herbert threw the ball to Johnston, who was blocked at the free throw line by Stingley. The pass is not completed. Johnston did not run to the first strike marker.

Harbaugh said the show’s design required Johnston to “go deeper.”

“Sometimes releases, coverage affects that,” Harbaugh added. “I would have called a different play or kicked the ball there.”

This was a game of missed opportunities. A Chargers punt was blocked and the special teams extra point was blocked. The Texans’ two-point conversion added an extra point, turning McConkey’s 86-yard touchdown run into a four-point swing.

The end result was that Herbert missed the biggest opportunity of his career to date.

“He’s the best quarterback I’ve ever played with,” Art said.

“Our heart was beating 10 times,” center Bradley Bozeman said. “He is the leader of this team. He is a very good football player.

Herbert is now tracking the early career trajectory of Peyton Manning, who led the league in passing yards through his first five seasons.

Manning made the playoffs three times in his first five seasons. He won 0-3. In his fifth season, his Indianapolis Colts lost 41-0 to the New York Jets in the wild-card round. Manning completed 14 of 31 passes for 137 yards and two interceptions.

The next season, Manning won the MVP. The Colts won two playoff games and reached the AFC Championship Game.

There is precedent for a talented quarterback struggling early in his career before overcoming the odds.

But like Manning, Herbert will face skepticism and criticism.

Until he showed up.

“I put the team in danger,” Herbert said. “It’s my responsibility to get better and keep moving forward.”

(Photo: Brandon Slaughter/Getty Images)

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