The Los Angeles Chargers had a very specific way they needed to play in order to win this game. They needed their defense to stifle the ascendant New England Patriots offense with their tackling and zone-heavy scheme, giving Justin Herbert the opportunity to perform some of his late-game black magic.
The opportunity was there, but Herbert fell short yet again.
As his career has advanced, the whispers have grown into shouts. In three playoff appearances, he's totaled just two touchdowns to four interceptions. His performance against New England was especially abysmal.
The blame does not fall on him entirely, but the time for excuses is rapidly coming to a close. Herbert deserves every ounce of criticism he'll get in the wake of this disastrous loss.
Justin Herbert fails to prove himself as a playoff performer yet again
Heading into their Wild Card Round matchup, there was reason to have hope for the Chargers. Their defense had performed excellently down the stretch, and there was a chance that Drake Maye's inexperienced played into their hands.
The offense, meanwhile, did not have an obviously formidable pass rush to contend with or a lockdown secondary, On paper, this was about as favorable a matchup for the Chargers as it could get.
Obviously, things did not play out that way.
The defense did their job. They held New England to just 16 points and kept the Chargers within one score well into the second half. Herbert and the Los Angeles offense failed to capitalize.
Herbert completed just 19 of his 31 passes on the night. He amassed 159 yards, and no receiver had more than three receptions.
He was sacked six times, but the blame, at least this time, cannot fall entirely upon the offensive line. Herbert missed open receivers multiple times throughout the night, and he failed to answer the blitz in the way he has over the course of the season.
He had time, albeit inconsistently, and the Chargers offense still fell flat over and over again.
Obviously, there is other context to be considered. There were free rushers and drops from his receivers. But there is a through-line that has become crystal clear.
In the biggest games of his career, Herbert has consistently failed not just to win but to perform with any semblance of what we've seen of him in the regular season.
There will be time for optimism once the dust settles and the organization dives into a potentially era-defining offseason. For now, the criticism will start to be levied, and this time, Herbert deserves every bit of it.