Chargers' Justin Herbert ends up on a playoff list no QB ever wants to be on

The Los Angeles Chargers are waiting on Justin Herbert to finally have that memorable playoff performance. And by memorable playoff performance, we mean a positive one. He had the blown lead loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022. Then, there was the four interception showing against the Houston Texans last year. Maybe, just maybe, his third playoff performance would result in an upset win over the New England Patriots.

Herbert instead may have had his worst playoff performance to date, throwing for just 159 yards and losing a fumble in a 16-3 loss to the Patriots. Due to Herbert's play and the lethargic offense overall, the Chargers felt as though they were fighting an uphill battle when they trailed just 9-3. It was that bad, and now, we enter another offseason in which there are questions about whether Herbert is the quarterback that can lead the Chargers to their first Super Bowl victory.

Herbert now joins some company with his third playoff loss. Herbert is now the fourth quarterback to lose his first three playoff starts since 2000, joining Matt Ryan, Matthew Stafford, and Andy Dalton.

Justin Herbert now fourth QB since 2000 to lose first three playoff starts

Those are notable names that Herbert has joined. There is promise, but also concern in this list.

Ryan proved to be the answer for the Atlanta Falcons once he was drafted by them in 2008. His first three playoff starts were losses to the Arizona Cardinals in 2008, the Green Bay Packers in the 2010 Divisional Round, and the New York Giants in the 2011 Wild Card Round.

He did log some playoff success, notably in the 2016 season, where he led the Falcons to the Super Bowl and won an NFL MVP Award for his efforts that entire campaign. But of course, Ryan is synonymous with one of the biggest chokes in sports history, as the Falcons blew a 28-3 lead to the New England Patriots and lost 34-28 in overtime. Overall, Ryan was 4-6 in the playoffs.

Stafford started his career with the Detroit Lions, and he tried his damndest to try and get them out of mediocrity in the 2000s and 2010s. In his first three playoff starts, Stafford lost to the New Orleans Saints in the 2011 Wild Card Round, the Dallas Cowboys in the 2014 Wild Card Round, and the Seattle Seahawks in the 2016 Wild Card Round. Stafford would not find playoff success until he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in a blockbuster that sent Jared Goff to the Lions.

In his first season in 2021, Stafford picked up four playoff wins, including a Divisional Round thriller over Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Super Bowl 56 over the Cincinnati Bengals. This season, Stafford is the favorite to win his first NFL MVP, and looks to win his second Super Bowl title. Thus far, Stafford is 6-5 in his playoff career.

Then, there's Dalton, who was a pivotal piece of their 2011 draft class alongside wide receiver A.J. Green. Even though he was a three-time Pro Bowler, Dalton didn't bring playoff success to Cincinnati. Dalton and the Bengals lost 31-10 to the Houston Texans in 2011, 19-13 to the Texans in 2012, and 27-10 to the Chargers in 2013.

Dalton had one more playoff start, and that was in 2014, where he and the Bengals lost 26-10 to the Indianapolis Colts. Dalton is 0-4 in playoff starts, where he's thrown for a total of 873 yards, one touchdown, and six interceptions. That is not a quarterback Herbert wants to be on the same list as.

Look, Herbert still has plenty of years left in his playing career. Perhaps at some point, he will learn from these playoff failures and turn things around. But to be included on a list with a quarterback known for his role in suffering the most heartbreaking loss in sports history, a signal caller who picked up playoff wins after leaving the team that drafted him, and a passer who had poor statistics through four career postseason starts, is not ideal for Herbert.