Justin Herbert Takes Blame, Harbaugh Gives Bold Quote on OC Greg Roman as Chargers Lose to Patriots

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert asserted he "didn't play well enough" in Sunday's 16-3 AFC Wild Card Round loss to the New England Patriots. His head coach may be of a different opinion.

Herbert told reporters after the game he "didn't make any plays" and pointed out the Chargers' failure to score any points in the second half.

"Quarterback play wasn't good enough," he said.

Coach Jim Harbaugh raised some eyebrows, though, when he declined to commit to the status quo with offensive coordinator Greg Roman.

"Right now, I don't have the answers," he said. "We're going to look at that, at everything. It really falls on me that we wasn't at our best tonight. I don't have the answers. I wish I did. We'll work hard. It'll be a new beginning."

Asked again about Roman, Harbaugh reiterated his previous comments: "I don't have that answer right now. I know you're being very specific. We weren't good enough as a team. That's what we do. We win as a team and we lose as a team. That's my responsibility to have the team in a better position."

  ▶️ Full Chargers-Patriots Recap

06:02

Herbert has been a somewhat polarizing quarterback since entering the NFL in 2020. His supporters point to his impressive numbers in the regular season, while his detractors cite the fact he has yet to win a playoff game.

On Sunday, the two-time Pro Bowler finished 19-of-31 for 159 yards. Anybody who watched the game didn't come away blaming Herbert solely for his performance, though.

The Patriots sacked him six times and feasted on an offensive line that sorely missed tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater.

Meanwhile, the Chargers offense as a whole looked ill-prepared and unimaginative.

Harbaugh has gone over the top to praise Herbert in the past, and remarks he gave to NFL Network's Jamie Erdahl and Manti Te'o last offseason could be telling as to what happens from here.

"This is the truth, Justin Herbert's biggest weakness is all of those that he's counting on on offense — coaches, offensive line, playmakers, receivers, running backs — to get up to his level," Harbaugh said. "I wake up every day to try to get to his level."

Beyond the back-to-back playoff defeats, Herbert's two worst seasons in average passing yards coincide with Roman's two years as the offensive coordinator.

If Harbaugh truly believes in the quarterback to the degree he has publicly proclaimed, then it's hard to see how he can bring Roman back for 2026.