Painful stat-line from Chargers' NFL Playoffs loss may end up saving the team

The LA Chargers were eliminated from the NFL Playoffs on Saturday in blowout fashion with a 32-12 loss to the Houston Texans. Mistakes galore coupled with a bad day at the office for Justin Herbert resulted in a game that got severely out of hand for the Bolts in the second half.

Now the attention turns to the offseason and the Chargers' loss served as a mirror for the team to be reflective about what needs to change. With more resources this winter than last year, the Chargers have the runway to make sure this kind of loss in the NFL Playoffs does not happen again.

And it does not take a rocket scientist to see one of the biggest needs for the Bolts just by looking at the box score from Saturday's loss. The receiving numbers outside of Ladd McConkey were woefully bad, shining a spotlight on just how bad the receiver room was in 2024.

Chargers' playoff loss made it beyond obvious Justin Herbert needs more help

On one hand, it is great to see that Ladd McConkey is a legitimate top weapon. The Chargers hit a home run by selecting McConkey in the second round as he should only become more productive as time goes on with Justin Herbert.

But realistically, the Chargers are never going to be successful at the highest level if they are in the same position to spam McConkey with targets because nobody else could get open. As great as the numbers were for McConkey on Saturday, the Chargers simply won't win playoff games if he doesn't get more help.

McConkey had nearly double the number of receptions the rest of the team had. Three of those receptions went to tight ends with DJ Chark Jr. and Derius Davis being the only other wideouts who hauled in a pass. Quentin Johnston was targeted five times with no catches.

There is no excuse for an NFL offense to operate like this but it's hard to expect any different when the offensive line had a bad day and the weapons are awful. It was well-documented before the season the Chargers had one of the worst group of weapons in the sport and Saturday's loss was simply a reminder.

As painful as the playoff was loss, at least there was a concrete message to the front office in the loss. Don't forget that Quentin Johnston had the best game of his career in Week 18 and another strong showing in the NFL Playoffs may have given the front office false optimism about the wide receiver room in 2025.

Instead, the Chargers came crashing back down to reality and it gave general manager Joe Hortiz a very clear objective this offseason: find another top-line receiver for Justin Herbert.

If the Chargers cannot do that then they will never be taken seriously as a true Super Bowl contender.