Justin Herbert flunked a playoff test Patrick Mahomes has passed with flying colors

Justin Herbert may have Jim Harbaugh as his head coach, but the results are more of the same for the Los Angeles Chargers. The fifth-year pro out of Oregon once again looked like an Oregon quarterback: Not ready for the big moment. The Bolts got bounced by the Houston Texans in the AFC Wild Card round on Saturday evening. It may have been the No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup, but whatever...

The point is Herbert needs to be more of an idea of a prototype quarterback when it counts. In his five-year NFL career, he has been part of one of the worst postseason collapses of all time, falling to the Jacksonville Jaguars two years ago. Now he is 0-2 in the AFC playoffs and now 0-2 vs. the AFC South in that regard. The unbearable weight of massive talent is consuming the Chargers' phenom.

To make matters worse, the best quarterback in the AFC West has yet to lose to the Texans in the postseason. Patrick Mahomes has been a constant thorn in the Texans' side since taking over for Alex Smith in 2019. What if I told you it will be more of the same next week? Yes, the top-seeded Chiefs will host the No. 4-seeded Texans next weekend in the AFC Divisional Round instead of L.A.

Mahomes is going to continue to run this division for as long as Herbert fails to reach his potential.

Justin Herbert is one again coming up painfully short of Patrick Mahomes

At some point, you have to be the one to make it happen. I understand that the Chiefs are a well-run operation and the Chargers have been anything but that for most of their history. However, you are always left wanting more out of Herbert, whereas with Mahomes, you cannot get enough. I tabbed Herbert as the next Matthew Stafford coming out. Five years in, I feel that NFL Draft comp still stands.

In time, I am sure that Harbaugh will get the most out of Herbert's massive talent. Then again, he won more games with Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick as his NFL quarterback. Both were talented, but nothing to the degree of Herbert. Yes, the Chargers need to surround Herbert with better weapons, but a franchise quarterback has to find a way to make it happen in the postseason when they make it.

In a conference defined by Mahomes, will Herbert ever get on Joe Burrow's level or will he take the place of whoever loses next week between Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. At some point, somebody besides Burrow and Mahomes will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. Right now, it could be Allen, Jackson or even C.J. Stroud. For yet another season, it is absolutely not going to be Justin Herbert.

Like his soft alma mater, Herbert's Chargers went one-and-done in the playoffs just like the Ducks.