Chargers' playoff failure raises uncomfortable questions about Justin Herbert

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Another season, another gut punch. The Los Angeles Chargers walked off the field after yet another playoff loss, and once again the uncomfortable truth is staring the organization — and its fan base — directly in the face: Justin Herbert is now 0–3 in the postseason.

At some point, the excuses have to stop.

For years, Herbert has been sold as the answer. The golden-armed franchise quarterback. The future Hall of Famer. The one who would finally erase six decades of Chargers heartbreak. But three playoff games is no longer “too small a sample size.” It’s a pattern — and it’s an ugly one.

This latest Wild Card loss was supposed to be different. New leadership. A championship pedigree head coach. A staff that, by all accounts, did enough to put Herbert in position to win. Yet when the lights were brightest, Herbert was nowhere to be found. No urgency. No takeover moment. No signature drive. Just another quiet exit.

And no, this one doesn’t fall on Greg Roman.

Roman paid the price with his job, but firing him feels more like organizational therapy than accountability. Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh called it a “fresh start” and a “results-oriented” decision. Fair enough. But if we’re truly being results-oriented, then the conversation can’t keep stopping everywhere except the quarterback.

Chargers GM Joe Hortiz was refreshingly honest when asked whether the team put Herbert in position to succeed.

“At times we did, at times we didn’t,” Hortiz said. “Until we win a Super Bowl, I’ll tell you we weren’t good enough.”

That’s the most truthful statement made by anyone in the building — and it applies directly to Herbert.

Harbaugh, predictably, defended his quarterback.

“Justin’s a winner,” he said.

But is he?

Winners show up when it matters. Winners elevate in January. Winners don’t shrink in three straight playoff appearances. Herbert hasn’t just lost — he has underperformed relative to his own elite regular-season standard. And that’s the part Chargers fans are tired of ignoring.

This franchise hasn’t won a Super Bowl in over 60 years. Sixty. That’s generations of loyal fans investing emotionally, financially, and spiritually into a team that continually finds new ways to fall short. The Chargers don’t need pretty throws in September. They need wins in January.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback, Justin Herbert (10) passing during an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 30, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.

Right now, Herbert looks like the ultimate regular-season quarterback — capable of piling up yards, highlight throws, and analytics love — but not capable of carrying a team when the pressure peaks. That’s not a Hall of Fame résumé. That’s a cautionary one.

The organization seems to understand something has to change, which brings us to the offensive coordinator search. Herbert, notably, will have no say in it.

“I have no questions about his ability as a player,” Harbaugh said. “He’s not looking to be the GM or the coach. It’s our responsibility to put him in the best position possible.”

That’s fine. Quarterbacks don’t need personnel power. But at some point, “putting him in position” has to stop being the shield. The coaching staff did enough. The roster did enough. Herbert didn’t.

So now the Chargers search for another “fix.” Marcus Brady has already interviewed. More candidates are coming. The net, as Harbaugh said, is wide. They want someone with a track record, vision, and proven success. They want a physical run game. A tough, smart offense. A “head coach of the offense.”

And maybe they’ll find the right system. But systems don’t throw the ball. Quarterbacks do.

If Herbert truly is the quarterback Harbaugh believes he is, then it shouldn’t matter who the coordinator is when the season is on the line. Great quarterbacks overcome. Elite quarterbacks elevate. Championship quarterbacks don’t need everything perfect to deliver one playoff win.

Herbert still hasn’t delivered one.

The Chargers will keep building. They’ll keep changing coordinators. They’ll keep promising progress. But unless Herbert proves he can be more than a regular-season star, the ending will remain the same.

Another January loss. Another fresh start. Another year further away from the championship Chargers fans have waited six decades to see.