Justin Herbert enters his third career playoff start Sunday night against the New England Patriots with an 0-2 postseason record — and one of the most frustrating playoff résumés of any star quarterback in the NFL.
The Chargers haven’t won a playoff game since Jan. 6, 2019, when Philip Rivers was under center. That’s seven years of postseason futility for a franchise desperate to go on a deep playoff run. Let’s revisit Herbert’s playoff struggles and LA’s last postseason victory.
Justin Herbert’s Playoff Losses: A Tale of 2 Collapses
The first collapse came in January 2023 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Herbert and the Chargers built a 27-0 lead — the kind of cushion that should guarantee a win. Instead, Los Angeles watched Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars pull off one of the largest playoff comebacks in NFL history. Herbert finished that game 25-of-43 for 273 yards and a touchdown. Respectable numbers, but the offense managed just a single field goal in the third quarter while Jacksonville stormed back to win 31-30.
Then came last January’s wild card matchup in Houston. Herbert threw four interceptions — a career high — in a 32-12 loss to the Texans. He completed just 14-of-32 passes. It was, by any measure, the worst game of his professional career, and it arrived on the biggest stage.
Herbert’s two playoff losses have been historically rough: an infamous collapse from a 27-0 lead against Jacksonville in 2022, and a four-interception disaster in Houston in 2024.
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The Chargers’ last postseason victory came under vastly different circumstances. Back in January 2019, Rivers led the Chargers into Baltimore as a road underdog and beat a rookie Jackson 23-17. Kicker Michael Badgley connected on five field goals, Melvin Ingram wreaked havoc with two sacks and a forced fumble, and the defense held Jackson to a 0.0 passer rating at halftime. Rivers threw for just 160 yards, but Los Angeles controlled the game, forcing three Baltimore turnovers.
This is the franchise’s only playoff victory since returning to Los Angeles, and it was followed up by a divisional round loss to the Patriots in Foxborough. Now, Herbert heads to that same stadium, searching for a breakthrough that has eluded him through two postseason tries.
What a Playoff Win Would Mean for Herbert’s Legacy
Jim Harbaugh hasn’t been shy about his quarterback’s abilities. “He’s had a tremendous season. Very MVP-caliber in every way,” Harbaugh said this week. “Every time, every game, he’s one that’s leading us to victory, willing us to victory.” The coach went further, calling Herbert “the best there ever was.”
The hyperbole reflects genuine appreciation for what Herbert accomplished during the 2025 regular season. He threw for 3,727 yards and 26 touchdowns despite playing without starting left tackle Rashawn Slater, who tore his patellar tendon before the season. Herbert fractured his non-throwing hand in Week 13 and kept playing. From Weeks 2 to 14, Herbert recorded 357 consecutive pass attempts without an interception, the fifth-longest such streak in NFL history.
None of that matters to the narrative surrounding him until he wins in January.
“It’d be awesome,” Herbert said when asked what a playoff victory would mean. “To keep going on in the playoffs is the goal for every team. We’re handling and taking advantage of this opportunity and doing everything we can to be prepared for that.”
Herbert’s even-keeled demeanor matches the cliché-resistant approach he’s taken throughout his career. He doesn’t engage with the criticism or acknowledge the mounting pressure. “Experience is always a good thing,” he said. “I think you learn from what you did right, what you did wrong.”
The Chargers face a Patriots team that went 14-3 and features Drake Maye, who is also chasing his first playoff win. New England hasn’t hosted a playoff game since January 4, 2020. The Patriots’ last postseason victory at Gillette Stadium? That January 2019 divisional round win over these Chargers.
Harbaugh has built a culture around physicality and ball control, and the Chargers have the NFL’s eighth-best defense, according to PFSN’s Defense Impact metric, under top defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.
Everything is in place for Herbert to finally shed the playoff label that follows him; we’ll see if he can do it on Sunday night in Foxborough.
