Justin Herbert’s reputation took a massive hit in generationally bad playoff performance

When the discussion about the best quarterbacks in the NFL is had, Justin Herbert's name is often on the fringes of those conversations. While Herbert has all the physical tools to join the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen among the game's elite, the one thing missing from his resume has been clutch performances in big spots.

With the Los Angeles Chargers favored on the road against the Houston Texans in the opener of Wild Card Weekend, the stage was set for Herbert to have a big playoff moment against a struggling Houston side that limped into the postseason losers of five of their final nine games.

Instead of building his own legacy, Herbert damaged his reputation some more with a stinker in a 32-12 blowout loss.

Justin Herbert was generationally bad against the Texans

The Texans defense had a field day against Herbert, who completed just 14-of-32 passes for 242 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. If you remove the one touchdown, which was an 86-yard catch and run from Ladd McConkey, Herbert only threw for 156 yards on the day while taking four sacks.

The four interceptions marked one more than Herbert threw in the entire regular season, which is a problem for a guy who received a $262.5 million contract extension that runs through the 2029 season. Herbert's first playoff game didn't go much better as he was fine statistically (completing 25-of-43 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown) but led the Chargers' offense to just three second half points as they blew a 27-0 lead to the Jacksonville Jaguars in a 31-30 wild card round loss.

While the Jaguars' loss was hardly just Herbert's fault, today's defeat falls much more at his feat. The Texans' strength on defense is stopping the run, which is Los Angeles' bread-and-butter, so Herbert was going to have to put the team on his back to produce a victory. While it is fair to point out his weaponry was greatly reduced this season due to salary cap issues, the great quarterbacks can find a way to make more with less, a skill that Herbert hasn't mastered yet.

The Chargers will clearly look to get more weapons for Herbert in the offseason, which he will need to keep pace with the Kansas City Chiefs and surging Denver Broncos in the AFC West. None of that will matter, however, if Herbert can't step up and deliver a playoff victory the next time he gets Los Angeles to the postseason.