To close out the Sunday slate of NFL Wild Card Round action, the New England Patriots hosted and handled the Los Angeles Chargers 16-3 and generated pressure all evening long on their quarterback, Justin Herbert.
Given how many times Herbert was hit, the NFL world couldn’t help but notice and discuss it on X.
Justin Herbert Was Under Duress All Game Long
The Chargers could only muster three points, and Herbert completed just 19 of 31 passes for 159 yards in their loss to the Patriots in Massachusetts. However, this wasn’t necessarily a bad offense; the offensive line couldn’t protect Herbert.
He was pressured 17 times, sacked six times, and found himself scrambling all evening long, leading the team in rushing with 57 yards on 10 carries.
“Justin Herbert’s life is danger out there. And I want to say I’m kidding, but ummmmmmm, this is scary,” wrote James Boyd of “The Athletic.”
“Every snap is a car crash for Justin Herbert,” wrote NFL analyst Andrew Siciliano.
That’s how the game felt: Herbert would snap the ball and almost immediately be under pressure.
Ari Meirov had this to say, while attaching a video of one of the many brutal hits Hebert endured: “Oh man. Justin Herbert just got absolutely demolished, fumbled, and the Patriots recovered.”
Oh man. Justin Herbert just got absolutely demolished, fumbled, and the Patriots recovered. pic.twitter.com/FEOR5Uz34N https://t.co/nimvQyJ44b
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 12, 2026
And the comments about the Chargers’ offensive line, which ranked 30th in PFSN’s latest rankings, just kept coming in from high-level football analysts.
“OL got destroyed …damn,” said ESPN’s Louis Riddick.
His colleague and former NFL defensive back Ryan Clark had this to say: “I’ll give Justin Herbert this. He’s extremely tough.”
It’s certainly hard to argue that. Many of the hits he took were massive from Patriots defensive tackle Milton Williams.
Warren Sharp also shared the same video Meirov did, saying, “the entire OL got walked 8 yards backwards into Herbert’s lap.”
If you watch that video, it looks like the entire offensive line was completely manhandled.
With Herbert’s season over, he ends the year with a QB Impact score of 79.6, which was 11th in the NFL. Considering the offensive line issues and the fact that his two stalwarts, Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, are injured, he had a quality season.
If the Chargers can keep their offensive line healthy and keep this same defense, they’ll be a problem in the AFC, but who knows if that’ll ever happen.
We’ll see in 2026-27.
