The Los Angeles Chargers played their first playoff game under head coach Jim Harbaugh and to say it didn’t go too well would be an understatement.
But it didn’t start badly. The Chargers got out to a 6-0 lead and appeared to be dictating the kind of pace that they wanted. But when C.J. Stroud made an incredible third-down play just before halftime, it seemed to change everything.
The Texans ended up outscoring the Chargers 32-6 after that to come out of the Wild Card round with a dominant win. The Chargers, picked by nearly everyone to win this game, go back to L.A. with a humbling loss.
The offseason now starts for Harbaugh and his staff. Let’s take a look at some winners and losers from this game.
Los Angeles Chargers Wild Card winners and losers
Loser: Justin Herbert, QB
Going into this game, Justin Herbert was one of just three quarterbacks in NFL history to have three interceptions or less and 400 or more pass attempts in the same season with Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers being the other two. He threw four in this game.
While not all of them were on Herbert, one of them was returned for a touchdown that all but put the nail in the coffin of the Chargers. It was a poor game for Herbert, no matter how you slice it and the narrative he’ll have to listen to all offseason is that he’s just not a big-game quarterback.
Winner: Ladd McConkey, WR
If there is any positive to take from this game, it’s that the Chargers have one of the best players from the entire 2024 draft in Ladd McConkey. He caught nine passes for 197 yards in this game and made a great play to score on an 86-yard touchdown catch to keep the Chargers within shouting distance.
It was a tremendous season for the rookie. He did everything he could to help his team in this game.
Loser: Will Dissly, TE
Will Dissly had a night to forget. He only caught two passes for 16 yards on the day but he also had two crucial drops on passes that were right in his hands. One of those landed in the arms of Derek Stingley Jr. which basically sunk the Chargers’ hopes.
One of the main objectives heading into next season is to improve the tight end position.
Winners: Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa
The Chargers’ vaunted pass-rush duo showed that they can still get up for a big game as Khalil Mack had two sacks and Joey Bosa added another. They also applied pressure to force Stroud into some poor throws early in the game.
The Chargers got a strong effort from their bookend edge rushers.
Loser: Running game
Any time a Harbaugh team runs the ball this poorly, it’s going to be a long day.
The Chargers never established the run in this game and a lot of credit goes to the Houston defensive front for that. J.K. Dobbins had 26 yards rushing and Gus Edwards only had 22 yards on the ground. As a team, the Chargers rushed for a total of 50 yards on 18 attempts in this game which translates to a 2.8-yard average.
That isn’t going to get it done on any day in the NFL, but particularly in the playoffs.
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