After another dispiriting loss in the playoffs for Justin Herbert and the Chargers, many around the league and several fans are beginning to question the play of this team in the postseason and especially the play of Herbert himself.
On the road against New England, the Chargers offense couldn’t even score a tocuhdown in an embarrassing 16-3 defeat. The offense only managed 207 total yards, but more worrying was the performance of Justin Herbert. He only had 159 yards on 19/31 passing. Zero touchdowns. Zero interceptions. Most disappointing was the six sacks and a lost fumble behind one of the NFL’s most porous offensive lines.
This has been a major problem for the Chargers over the past several years as Herbert has been one of the NFL’s most elite quarterbacks in terms of consistent production. However, because of multiple injury woes, specifically along the O-line, that talent has gone somewhat unrecognized once they reach the playoffs.
Playoff Failures Mask a Fundamentally Broken Offensive Structure
Still, once can say that based on the regular season, the Chargers have every right to have their heads lifted high. They won 11 games with a chance at the division. Even more impressive is that Herbert battled through a hand injury over the last few weeks of the season as well. But look closer and the underlying issues reared their ugly head.
The Chargers finished 21st in EPA per play and everyone who is involved with the Chargers could point to the reason why. Season-ending injuries to both Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt forced them to go through nine different line combinations. None of them played more than 50 snaps together.
An Offseason of Reckoning: Coaching Decisions and Offensive Line Reset
Another big question surrounding the offense is the future of offensive coordinator Greg Roman. When asked about Roman’s job status, head coach Jim Harbaugh simply said, “Right now, I don’t have the answers.”
The Chargers will enter the offseason without many answers to this loss. Still, there is ample opportunity for them to improve as well. Both bookend tackles will certainly be back next year and to address their needs on the interior of the O-line, they have the most cap space in the NFL to address it. They only have 36 players under contract though, and a player that could be moved on is backup guard Mekhi Becton. Bradley Bozeman could be another cut option as well.
Then there’s the decision to make on Zion Johnson, perhaps the best offensive lineman the Chargers have relied upon all year. However, his body of work over four seasons has left much to be desired. If the Chargers clear shop on the interior, they can find premier help in the free agent market.
Overall, nobody knows what the future of this team could look like. Greg Roman could be fired. Cuts could be made along the O-line to bring in fresh talent. Still, this could prove to be the most pivotal offseason in franchise history. They simply must get it right in order to be more competitive next season.
Chargers, Herbert Have Plenty of Offseason Questions to Answer