Justin Herbert's playoff accountability will make him and Chargers better long term

It may not seem like it right now, but the Los Angeles Chargers had an overwhelmingly successful 2024 season.

The Chargers were ejected from the playoffs after suffering a 32-12 loss against the Houston Texans in the wild-card round on Saturday. The playoff loss may sting for now, but Los Angeles made significant strides under coach Jim Harbaugh in 2024. Last year, the Chargers finished last place in the AFC West with a 5-12 record. 

While Harbaugh was expected to change the trajectory of the downtrodden franchise, he wasn’t expected to double their win total and lead them to a playoff appearance in his first season. Los Angeles will eventually find optimism heading into the 2025 season, but first, they will have to deal with the fallout from their humiliating loss. 

Justin Herbert accepted blame for Chargers’ loss

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has often been cited as one of the league’s premier passers, and he further cemented that status during the regular season. The Chargers finished with the top-scoring offense in the league, and Herbert had a highly-efficient campaign in which he only threw three interceptions. But then, Herbert was picked off four times against the Texans. 

“I let the team down,” Herbert said after the game, via the team’s website. “You can’t turn over the ball like that and expect to win. Put the team into a tough position with four turnovers like that. The defense hung tough, they got some turnovers, they gave us opportunities. I just have to be better.”

Herbert has only played in two playoff games in his career. While any statistician will say that’s too small of a sample size to draw any conclusions, that won’t stop the national media from questioning whether Herbert has the right makeup to win a championship.

In his two playoff losses, Herbert has completed 39 of 75 pass attempts (52 percent) for 515 yards with two passing touchdowns and four interceptions. He had a middling 60.7 quarterback rating in those two games.

The narratives born in the aftermath of Herbert’s postseason performance will loom over him for at least one full calendar year. In the long run, the loss may prove to be beneficial. The next time Herbert enters the playoffs, he’ll know that another disappointing effort would be unacceptable. At that point, the Chargers’ gunslinger will be able to prove whether or not he belongs in the conversation for the league’s top quarterbacks.