The Los Angeles Chargers, in hindsight, had no shot at a deep postseason run. They got absolutely embarrassed against the New England Patriots in the Wild Card Round, putting up three points and just 207 total yards.
Justin Herbert was under pressure all night, and as a result, the offense was able to gain no momentum. With the way the offensive line was constructed this season, their campaign was over before the playoffs even began.
At the time, it seemed as though Los Angeles had fallen victim to even a sub-par New England pass rush. Since then, the Patriots defense has proved to be genuinely formidable, earning a dominant win over the Houston Texans.
Yet that provides no consolation. Given the AFC slate the Patriots will have faced if they make it to the Super Bowl, it is reasonable for Chargers fans to be infuriated.
The path was wide open, and Los Angeles fell short.
The Patriots are a great team, but the Chargers may have fared just as well
Presuming they are able to beat the Jarrett Stidham-led Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, New England will reach the Super Bowl since the 2018 season.
Their path since their defeat of the Chargers will then include two absolutely incompetent offenses in Denver and Houston. While the Texans played exceedingly well down the stretch, C.J. Stroud melted down in the playoffs, throwing four interceptions and completing just 20 of his 47 pass attempts.
The Broncos, meanwhile, were already questionable offensively prior to their defeat of the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round. With Bo Nix out, there's little question about who should be the favorite heading into that game.
This is not meant to discount what the Patriots have accomplished this season. There's been enough of that rhetoric floating around the league for quite some time.
Instead, it is an acknowledgement of where the Chargers could be had they cobbled together even a semblance of an effective offense.
Their defense did their job against New England, holding them to just 16 points and forcing two turnovers on the night. If their offense had been able to capitalize on even one of these opportunities, Los Angeles could have found themselves playing in the Divisional Round.
Granted, their path would have been different. Because of seeding, they would have faced the Denver Broncos (with Nix available) followed by either the Buffalo Bills or the Houston Texans.
Yet the Patriots have proved the AFC was wide open this year, and the Chargers painfully failed to capitalize yet again.
Let's hope next year can be different.