The Chargers lost both of their starting offensive tackles to season-ending injuries and their absence loomed large as the Patriots pressured quarterback Justin Herbert throughout Sunday night’s loss.
Rashawn Slater went down with a torn patellar tendon before the start of the regular season and Joe Alt moved from right to left tackle to fill that void. Alt would miss time with an ankle injury early in the season and then suffered another one in early November after returning to the lineup.
On Monday, Alt did not detail the specific nature of the injury, but said “everything you could do to an ankle, I did, pretty much.” He also said he is aiming to be totally over the injury by the start of next season.
“The goal is to have it not affect me at all,” Alt said, via Daniel Popper of TheAthletic.com.
The Chargers are now 0-3 in the playoffs in the Herbert era. Having Alt and Slater around for all of next season would be a plus to their chances of getting his first postseason win.
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There is another team interested in speaking with Jesse Minter for a head coaching vacancy.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the Raiders have put in a request to interview the Chargers’ defensive coordinator.
Minter has also reportedly been requested by the Ravens, Browns, and Titans.
Minter just finished his second season as Chargers defensive coordinator after serving in the same position under Jim Harbaugh at Michigan from 2022-2023. He was previously a Ravens assistant coach under John Harbaugh from 2017-2020, moving up from defensive assistant, to assistant defensive backs coach, and then defensive backs coach.
With Los Angeles’ season ending with last night’s loss to New England, Minter will be free and available for interviews this week.
The Ravens will interview one of their former assistants for their head coaching vacancy on Monday and they’d like to interview another one as well.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that the Ravens have requested an interview with Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. He also notes that they will interview Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver.
Former Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is also set to interview with the team on Monday.
Minter was on John Harbaugh’s staff from 2017-2020 and has run defenses for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan and with the Chargers for the last four seasons. Weaver was the Ravens’ defensive line coach for three seasons and has spent the last two years in Miami.
The Chargers have advanced to the playoffs in each of their first two seasons under head coach Jim Harbaugh, but they’ve scored just 15 points in two dispiriting losses once they’ve gotten to the postseason.
After Sunday night’s 16-3 loss to the Patriots, Harbaugh wasn’t able to explain why the offense was so flat in New England. He also wasn’t ready to say if the team would consider making a change involving offensive coordinator Greg Roman as they work toward building a team that can hang around the playoffs a little longer the next time around.
“I don’t have that answer right now,” Harbaugh said, via a transcript from the Patriots. “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.”
Harbaugh said the Chargers will look at “everything on our team” in the wake of the loss and word of any fallout from that introspection should come in the near future.
The Chargers’ formula for success this season was a strong defense and strong play by quarterback Justin Herbert, but they only got half of that package in New England on Sunday night.
Their defense was the half that showed up. The unit forced two turnovers while holding the Patriots to field goals through the first three quarters of the game, but Herbert and the offense couldn’t get anything going in New England. They punted four times and turned the ball over on downs on the Patriots’ 2-yard line before the Patriots broke the game open with a Hunter Henry touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.
Herbert became a sitting duck against a heavy blitz at that point and finished the night 19-of-31 for 158 yards while being sacked six times. He was able to run for 57 yards, but he offered up a blunt assessment of his play in the postgame press conference.
“I didn’t play well enough and didn’t make any plays,” Herbert said, via a transcript from the Patriots. “When it mattered most we didn’t score any points.”
The loss was Herbert’s third in three playoff tries and the quarterback’s play has been underwhelming in each of those trips. Herbert was asked about how confident he is that the team will eventually break through in the postseason.
“Yeah, I don’t know,” Herbert said. “I haven’t figured it out yet. Hasn’t happened, so we’ll have to reevaluate and see what happens.”
Herbert did not point to missing both starting tackles or his broken left hand as reasons for this year’s disappointing result. They were certainly factors, but there’s been different factors each season and Herbert’s been the common thread to a narrative that can’t change soon enough for the Chargers.
The Chargers turned in the worst performance of any team in the NFL’s wild card weekend, barely looking competitive in a 16-3 loss to the Patriots. Afterward, head coach Jim Harbaugh said he couldn’t explain why his team scored only three points.
“I really don’t have the answers,” Harbaugh said. “I wish I did. If I did there would have been a different result. We’ll be spending a lot of hard work and sleepless nights getting to figure it out. The way these players fight, they give it their very best, they give it their all, we owe them that. Like I told the team, those that stay will be champions. We’re not looking at this as an end, but as another beginning.”
Harbaugh says he’ll look at everything on the team as he assesses how to be better in 2026.
“We weren’t good enough as a team. And that’s what we do: We win as a team, we lose as a team, and it’s our responsibility to have the team in a better position,” Harbaugh said. :"And a lot of it’s the Patriots, too. The Patriots played very well, they did a good job and I want to congratulate them.”
When Harbaugh was hired as the Chargers’ head coach in 2024, he took over a team coming off a 5-12 season. He’s gone 11-6 in each of his first two years with the Chargers, which is undeniable improvement. But his Chargers are also 0-2 in the playoffs. He doesn’t have the answer for why that’s the case, but he knows he needs to figure it out.
New England is headed to the divisional round.
For the first time since 2018, the Patriots have won a playoff game with their 16-3 victory over the Chargers.
The club will stay home next weekend to play the winner of Monday night’s matchup between Houston and Pittsburgh.
While neither the Patriots nor Chargers had much success offensively in the first half, New England put up a pair of field goals to go up 6-3 at the break.
But in the second half, the dam finally broke after another Patriots field goal when quarterback Drake Maye connected with Hunter Henry for a 28-yard touchdown pass to put the club up by two possessions.
From there, New England’s pash rush became that much more overwhelming for quarterback Justin Herbert. With Herbert already dealing with a fractured left hand, the Patriots registered 11 total QB hits on him with six sacks — including, poetically, on Los Angeles’ final offensive play of the night.
Herbert finished the contest just 19-of-31 for 159 yards. He was also the Chargers’ leading rusher, gaining 57 yards on 10 attempts. But those runs also gave New England more opportunities to hit Herbert.
Los Angeles finished with just 207 total yards and was 1-of-10 on third down. No Chargers receiver had more than three receptions, with Ladd McConkey leading the way with 32 yards.
Both quarterbacks were the leading rusher for his respective team, as Maye led with 66 yards on 10 carries, including a key 37-yard run that set up a late field goal in the second quarter. But Rhamondre Stevenson also had 53 yards on 10 attempts to give the offense some more balance.
Maye was 17-of-29 for 268 yards with a touchdown, interception, and a lost fumble.
Stevenson also led the club with 75 yards on three receptions. Kayshon Boutte caught four passes for 66 yards. Henry had three receptions for 64 yards with a TD.
New England’s game against the winner of the matchup between Pittsburgh and Houston will be played on Sunday, January 18.
At long last, there has been a touchdown in Sunday night’s postseason matchup between the Patriots and Chargers.
New England quarterback Drake Maye fired a 28-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to give the Pats a 16-3 lead with 9:45 left in regulation.
Maye was able to evade defenders in the pocket before moving to his left and hitting an open Hunter Henry downfield for the score.
It was the first touchdown of the night, as both teams have struggled to maintain an offensive rhythm.
It was also the first postseason touchdown pass of Maye’s career.
At this point, Maye is 18-of-29 for 268 yards with a touchdown, an interception, and a lost fumble
Notably, Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez is questionable to return as he’s being checked for a concussion.
Neither the Chargers nor the Patriots have been able to get in much of an offensive rhythm in the first half of their wild card matchup, as the teams are tied 3-3 at halftime.
The teams have gone a combined 2-of-10 on third down — 1-of-5 each. The clubs also have just eight first downs each. New England has outgained Los Angeles 171 to 117.
The Patriots scored first, with rookie Andy Borregales connecting on a 23-yard field goal to cap a long drive early in the second quarter for a 3-0 lead.
Then Cameron Dicker came on for a 21-yard field goal, helping the Chargers cash in on a possession that went deep into New England territory after the club had failed on fourth down earlier in the contest.
Finally, the Patriots scored again to effectively close the half, with Borregales hitting from 35 yards.
Quarterback Drake Maye is 6-of-15 for 95 yards with an interception, which came on a tipped pass. Maye is also the leading rusher with 55 yards on five attempts — including a 37-yard run late in the second period.
For the Chargers, Justin Herbert is 10-of-13 for 93 yards. Keenan Allen leads with three catches and 25 yards.
On the injury front, Patriots cornerback Carlton Davis is questionable to return with a toe injury.
The Chargers will receive the second-half kickoff.
Update 9:50 p.m. ET: Davis has returned to the game to start the second half.
The Chargers were not able to take advantage of a big takeaway midway through the first quarter of Sunday’s wild card matchup with the Patriots.
After Los Angeles elected to take a delay of game on fourth-and-2 from the New England 47, the Chargers’ punt was downed at the 8-yard line to put the Patriots in unfavorable field position.
On second-and-11 from the New England 7, quarterback Drake Maye was looking for tight end Austin Hooper over the middle when the ball was tipped at the line and eventually intercepted by linebacker Daiyan Henley to set the Chargers up with first-and-goal.
After three Justin Herbert runs, the quarterback was pressured and flushed from the pocket to his right. Herbert tried to fire one to veteran receiver Keenan Allen, but the pass was well high and landed out of bounds, incomplete.
Neither team has been able to get into much of a rhythm offensively early on in the contest.
