Error code: %{errorCode}
It’s time to have the uncomfortable conversation about the Chargers' Justin Herbert
There are NFL quarterbacks who elevate their teams in January and those whose greatness seems confined to the calendar of regular-season Sundays. Justin Herbert is, painfully clearly, in the latter category – at least so far.
After the Los Angeles Chargers’ 16-3 loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC wild-card round on 11 January, Herbert’s postseason record remains 0-3, with performances that raise uncomfortable questions about what happens to his game when the stakes rise.
Here, we delve into whether Herbert has what it takes to get the job done in the postseason.
Watch every NFL playoff game on DAZN for only £14.99
DAZN's latest Game Pass deal gives you every game, from the Divisional Round right through to the Super Bowl, for only £14.99.
The offer drops ahead of what promises to be an action-packed weekend, with the Buffalo Bills taking on the Denver Broncos, the San Francisco 49ers at the Seattle Seahawks, and more.
In addition to every game, live or on demand, Game Pass also provides access to RedZone, NFL Network, and DAZN’s weekly original shows, including Downs 2 Business, Kittle Things, and X's & O's coaching breakdown.
Click here for more information and to sign up.
Herbert’s 2025 campaign was, by most objective measures, another example of his consistent excellence. Playing through a broken bone in his left hand and an offensive line ravaged by injury, he still finished with 3,727 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, earning his second Pro Bowl selection and ranking comfortably among the NFL’s upper tier of signal-callers.
Yet come January, something changes. In three career playoff starts – the 2022 wild-card collapse in Jacksonville where a 27-0 lead evaporated, the four-interception outing against the Texans last season and now Sunday’s stifled performance against the Patriots – Herbert has thrown just two touchdown passes, four interceptions, and been sacked 13 times.
His overall completion percentage in the postseason sits in the low-50s, and the Chargers have managed just 21 points in two recent playoff games.
That stark contrast between regular-season prowess and postseason futility has sparked a debate no franchise quarterback wants to endure. Is this merely bad luck? Chalk it up to injuries? Or is there something deeper – a psychological or tactical barrier that manifests after Week 18? It’s a question that follows Herbert now into the 2026 offseason.
Some argue the Chargers’ offensive context has mattered; protection issues and schematic staleness can hamper quarterback play. And to that point, Herbert lost star left tackle Rashawn Slater before the season started, Joe Alt for most of the year, and the interior of the offensive line has been as bad as it gets. This point must be overlooked in the context of this conversation.
Opposing defenses in January are stingier, more disciplined and unforgiving of errors. But the precedent set by other elite quarterbacks suggests that great postseason play is often an extension of regular-season confidence and execution, not an aberration from it.
- Read next | NFL Divisional Round playoffs: Can the Patriots overcome the Texans defensive juggernaut?
Herbert’s talent is undoubted – his arm strength, athleticism, and playmaking instincts make him one of the NFL’s most exciting players.
But without clearing this playoff hurdle, the narrative around his career will remain incomplete. The real discomfort isn’t in acknowledging his flaws; it’s in recognising that this very discussion – about whether he has a mental block in the postseason – is now unavoidable.
Herbert’s next chapter won’t be written in October. It will be defined by how he answers this question on the biggest stage of all.
