It's another one-and-done postseason for Justin Herbert and Chargers

Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times on Jan 12, 2026

Published in Football

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On a field loaded with playoff history, the Los Angeles Chargers couldn't outrun their familiar postseason pattern.

Another one-and-done exit.

This time it was a 16-3 dismissal by the New England Patriots, who had so much success here with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.

The new hero is second-year quarterback Drake Maye, who was far from perfect Sunday night but was frequently serenaded by chants of "M-V-P" by the sold-old crowd, delighted on an evening that was chilly but not frigid.

These Patriots won four games last season and 14 this one, becoming the third franchise in NFL history to improve by more than 10 games over the previous year.

Jim Harbaugh's Chargers — a banged-up M-A-S-H unit all season — hit one final wall in a game that seemed maddeningly winnable.

The three points by the Chargers matched their season-low from a week before, but that loss at Denver was engineered by second- and third-string players. Before that, their lowest-scoring game was a 35-6 blowout at Jacksonville.

Imagine how vexing this has been for Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, whose gutty season yet again ended with a frustrating fizzle.

First came the 27-point collapse at Jacksonville. Then last season's four-interception meltdown at Houston. And Sunday night the repeated inability at New England to capitalize on prime opportunities.

It was far from complementary football. The Chargers' defense turned in a solid performance, but the offense was sputtering and out of sync.

Making matters worse, the visitors were undone by one of their onetime standouts. Tight end Hunter Henry, who spent his first three seasons with the Chargers, broke open the game with a 28-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter.

The torture was gradual but inevitable for the Chargers, as a lead was always within reach on the scoreboard — yet not on the field. It was as if the offense was ankle-deep in mud, a credit of course to New England's swarming defense.

Herbert fought gamely, running with abandon despite his broken left hand, but he unable to spark any offensive consistency. Near the middle of the fourth quarter, he lost a fumble and got hit so hard he lay on the ground for several moments before teammates gingerly helped him to his feet.

Maye had an interception and a pair of fumbles (one lost), yet he was poised and frequently made big plays with his feet.

This was New England's 50th playoff game under Kraft family ownership, and the 28th for the Chargers since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.

The Chargers last won a playoff game in the 2018 season when they beat Baltimore in the first round before falling to New England in the second.

The game was 6-3 at half, with the Patriots kicking their second field goal at the end of the second quarter.

The Chargers' defense did an impressive job of putting the clamps on New England's offense — some nifty runs by Maye notwithstanding — but the offense couldn't turn those efforts into points.

That was most evident early in the game, when the Chargers made an interception deep in Patriots territory but the offense came up empty-handed. Daiyan Henley picked off a Maye deflection that was batted at the line of scrimmage by defensive tackle Teair Tart, giving the visitors the ball at the 10.

Three Herbert scrambles and an incomplete pass later, and the Chargers were skulking off the field pointless, and the Patriots had a huge emotional lift.

Chargers running back Omarion Hampton, who was dealing with a bum ankle, tried to play with a brace and briefly made an appearance in the first half before returning to the sideline. The ball-carrying duties were handled by backup Kimani Vidal and the scrambling of Herbert.

The offensive line for the Chargers, a unit constantly under construction, did a respectable job early on of protecting Herbert, who was sacked 60 times this season. But they struggled as the game wore on and gave up four of their six sacks in the second half.

Maye, a popular MVP candidate along with Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, led all rushers in the half with 55 yards on five carries.

The Patriots were flagged just once in the first half but should have gotten another for an uncalled roughing-the-passer when Herbert took a clubbing to the head. That came on third down and would have given the Chargers a first down, as opposed to a punt.

This game followed the trend of the previous four postseason matchups, which were separated by only a few points. In that respect, it was a dream weekend for the NFL.

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