The LA Chargers were unable to build on the team's promising 11-6 season against the Houston Texans on Saturday. The Chargers didn't just lose to the Texans in the AFC Wild-Card Round, they were thoroughly routed 32-12.
As if the blowout loss wasn't enough of a reason to be upset, quarterback Justin Herbert also turned in the worst game of his entire career when the stage was the brightest. With two playoff stinkers on his resume, Herbert has done nothing to rewrite the narrative about him not being a winning player.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh was asked about Herbert's performance after the game Saturday and he did not miss a beat to praise his quarterback. Even in a four-interception game, Harbaugh said Herbert played like a beast.
More importantly, though, Harbaugh pointed out the immense pressure Herbert faced against the Texans. This may seem like nothing, but this is about as public as Harbaugh will ever get when it comes to talking badly about his players (in this case, the offensive line).
Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh on Herbert's play: "Like he always does. Complete beast."
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) January 12, 2025
On OL dealing with Houston's pressure: "Quarterback has gotta be able to finish the throwing motion."
Jim Harbaugh subtly passes blame off of Justin Herbert and on to Chargers' offensive line
Harbaugh called the Texans' pass rush the best the team has seen all season to take some of the blame away from the offensive line, but it is clear that his explanation for Herbert's tough outing was the lack of security in front of him.
This reveals a lot about what many Chargers fans already knew. The Chargers are going to be busy when it comes to adding to the interior offensive line this offseason. Harbaugh's comments, even in a back-door way, just confirm that reality.
Bradley Bozeman will be a free agent and was visibly upset while talking to reporters after the game. It would be genuinely shocking if he returned to the Chargers after the season he had. Trey Pipkins is also a cut candidate who can free up $6.75 million in cap space. After the season he had at right guard, that feels like the most likely outcome.
The Chargers will have a new starting center and right guard in Week 1 of the 2025 season. Some would even argue the team should replace Zion Johnson but he is a cheap asset that is worth keeping around. If he is the worst starter on the offensive line, that is a good position to be in.
As far as Harbaugh's comments go, he is not wrong about the pressure Herbert faced in this game. It certainly made a difference in his performance and took him out of his comfort zone early on in the game.
That does not change the fact Herbert needs to be better. Herbert threw two of the worst passes of his career given the circumstances for two interceptions. Herbert played nothing like the top-five quarterback Chargers fans have been touting him as.
This was Harbaugh's roundabout way of putting blame on the offensive line, not on his star quarterback. And while that makes sense as Harbaugh was never going to outright bury his QB, but goes without saying that Herbert deserves a big chunk of the blame as well.