FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) 鈥� Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh still believes he can take his team all the way. Quarterback Justin Herbert isn鈥檛 so sure.
After a in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday night, Harbaugh said he told the team, 鈥淭hose that stay will be champions.鈥�
鈥淣ot looking at this as an end,鈥� he said in a somber postgame news conference that undermined his professed optimism. 鈥淚t鈥檚 another beginning.鈥�
But when Herbert followed his coach to the podium, he couldn鈥檛 smile through his third playoff loss in as many tries. The Chargers have not claimed a postseason victory since winning in the wild-card round in 2018. (They lost to the Patriots the following week.)
Asked if he was still confident that he could make a playoff run or even win one postseason game, Herbert said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know.鈥�
鈥淚 haven鈥檛 figured it out yet, and it hasn鈥檛 happened,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o we鈥檒l have to re-evaluate it and see what happens.鈥�
A year after a 32-12 loss to Houston in which Herbert completed less than 45% of his passes and was intercepted four times, the 2020 Offensive Rookie of the Year led the Chargers to just a single field goal. He completed 19 of 31 passes for 159 yards and was the team’s leading rusher, scrambling 10 times for 57 yards.
But he was also sacked six times, losing 39 yards.
The Chargers only got deep into Patriots territory twice 鈥� the first time in the first quarter when Daiyan Henley intercepted a tipped pass from Drake Maye and set up the Los Angeles offense at the New England 10. The drive stalled at the 2, Harbaugh went for it on fourth down, and Herbert鈥檚 pass fell incomplete.
鈥淲e just have to be able to score and we didn鈥檛 do that today,鈥� the quarterback said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 on us as an offense. When we get those opportunities we have to do everything we can to get ball in the end zone, and we let the defense down today.鈥�
Among the problems: The best team in the NFL on third down this season, converting 115 times, went 1 for 10 on Sunday night, and 1 for 3 on fourth down. (The only successful third-down conversion was a 1-yard QB sneak that was initially ruled short but was overturned on replay to give Los Angeles the first down.)
It was the second straight week the Chargers failed to score a touchdown. Asked if offensive coordinator Greg Roman was the right person to be calling plays, Harbaugh said, 鈥淩ight now I don鈥檛 have the answers.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to look at that, at everything,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t really falls on me that we weren鈥檛 at our best tonight. I don鈥檛 have the answers. I wish I did. We鈥檒l work hard. It鈥檒l be a new beginning.鈥�
Herbert broke a bone in his left 鈥� non-throwing 鈥� hand in a Nov. 30 victory over the Raiders, but he played through the injury and led Los Angeles to four straight wins. The Chargers lost to Houston in Week 17, then Herbert sat out the regular-season finale to heal.
Getting back on the field on Sunday, Herbert wasn鈥檛 able to reverse his playoff luck, missing receivers and taking sacks when there was no one open to throw to. He was strip-sacked twice, losing one fumble in a sequence that wound up costing the Chargers 2陆 minutes on the clock and 46 yards of field position when they needed two touchdowns to win the game.
鈥淭he training staff did a great job getting me ready to go,鈥� Herbert said. 鈥淎s long as they felt safe and comfortable 鈥� and I did as well 鈥� there was no issues. Just have to do a better job holding on to the ball.鈥�
But Harbaugh acknowledged that the hand was a problem.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a warrior. He just gives it everything he has, all the time,鈥� the coach said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an issue, but he doesn鈥檛 flinch, like a warrior would.鈥�
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