The Los Angeles Chargers are going to the playoffs. It probably won’t be the last time the Jim Harbaugh-Justin Herbert combination happens.
Harbaugh returned to the NFL after leading the University of Michigan to a national title and led a historically underperforming Chargers franchise to the playoffs. And the Chargers looked like a playoff team on Saturday.
The Chargers annihilated the New England Patriots 40-7, clinching a wild card spot. The Chargers improved to 10-6. They still have a shot at the No. 5 seed, which is valuable because that team will play the Houston Texans, who will be the weakest of the AFC division winners and are locked into the No. 4 seed.
The Chargers did everything right on Saturday. With JK Dobbins back from injury, they ran the ball effectively. Justin Herbert had perhaps his best game of the season with three touchdown passes and 281 yards. The defense was on Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye, and New England simply couldn’t move the ball. The Chargers pulled Herbert with just under 11 minutes left, because the result was already decided.
Some teams make the playoffs with help or a closer victory than expected. The Chargers wanted to leave no doubt about their postseason credentials. Every AFC playoff team watching the Chargers knows they won’t have an easy out if they tie against the Chargers.
Chargers explosion starts early
It would have been difficult to trust previous versions of the Chargers in an early start Saturday on the East Coast. Typically, there has been something that has kept the Chargers from playing at their talent level.
Whatever was missing, Harbaugh fixed immediately.
The Chargers outscored the Patriots 249-91 in the first half, and 36 of the Patriots’ yards came in their only highlight of the first half. The Chargers were offside, so Drake Maye took advantage of the free play and threw a long pass to Demario Douglas, who made a good adjustment to catch it and score. That pass came after Maye took a big hit on New England’s first offensive series, went to the locker room to be evaluated for a concussion and returned to the game after being cleared.
That’s the only positive for the Patriots. The Chargers had the ball for 23:20 of the first half, reflecting New England’s defense’s inability to get off the field and also its offense’s failure to sustain any drives. The second half was even more dominant for the Chargers.
The Patriots are not a good team, as their 3-13 record clearly demonstrates. But one of the signs of a good team is to leave no doubt against poor teams, and the Chargers did that.
Justin Herbert has a great day
Herbert and Harbaugh are the type of pairing that could perhaps make life a little uncomfortable for the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West over the next few seasons.
Herbert had exciting highlights and solid statistics before Harbaugh arrived, but he wasn’t very good late in games and the Chargers weren’t winning much. Harbaugh didn’t give his quarterback more responsibility, which seemed counterintuitive, but it opened up a much more efficient quarterback.
Herbert was fantastic against New England. He had his first three-touchdown game of the season. Two of the touchdown passes went to exciting rookie receiver Ladd McConkey. The Chargers offense played well and the defense allowed the Patriots very little. It was a complete victory.
In many ways, the Chargers look like a well-coached team. They should be even better next season, with the front office having more salary flexibility to add players that fit what Harbaugh wants to do. This doesn’t look like a fluke playoff appearance for the Chargers. They’re pretty good this season and could get a lot better as the Harbaugh era progresses.