Good morning, Chargers fans!
I truly don’t have the words after last night’s loss to the Patriots. An elite performance by the defense was completely overshadowed by a worst-case scenario for Justin Herbert and the offense. I’ve spent so much time on social media since the game end that I simply feel that anything else I have to say is redundant at this point.
One half of this football team was egregiously and inexcusably bad in the most important game of the season. So underwhelming and unprepared
that anything less than some major changes would be yet another gigantic slap in the face of the fan base in regards to what they so rightfully deserve.
Since Jim Harbaugh was hired in 2024, some things have changed for the better. There absolutely has been a culture shift in the building. That’s a great start and a foundational piece of building this team into what it wants to be, but this season showed exactly where there is still a notable shortfall.
It happened under Brandon Staley and it’s seemingly happening right now under Harbaugh. A decision to hire an offensive coordinator NOT because it’s what is best for Herbert, but because there’s familiarity and a friendship there, is once again backfiring on the franchise and further wasting the prime years of a franchise quarterback.
The change from Joe Lombardi came too late. The only thing stopping the Roman decision from being “too late” for Harbaugh is due to the amount of wins he’s earned these first two seasons. If he decides to run it back with Roman and there’s anything remotely close to this season happening again, he cannot save himself for being the next head coach to squander a rare and truly great window of opportunity in this franchise’s history.
If he really does choose to move on, the next coach cannot be — in any way — connected to Harbaugh from a past relationship. At least, it cannot be based on that fact. The next offensive coordinator needs to be evaluated based on his actual body of work. Familiarity truly be damned.
And now for today’s links.
Chargers News:
Five takeaways from the Chargers loss to the Patriots in the wild card round (Chargers.com)
A look at the Chargers’ 2026 opponents (Chargers.com)
Social media had plenty of reactions to the Chargers’ loss in the wild card round (Chargers Wire)
Five Chargers who won’t be back in 2026 after the loss to the Patriots (Bolt Beat)
NFL News:
What went wrong for the five losing teams in the wild card round? (ESPN)
The Packers are set to enter extension talks with HC Matt LaFleur (ESPN)
Overreactions from Sunday’s wild card games (CBS Sports)
What we learned from the winning teams and their performances on Sunday (NFL.com)
The Ravens are interviewing Kliff Kingsbury for their HC position (Pro Football Talk)
Cris Collinsworth praised the Chargers OL just before they let Herbert get crushed (Sports Illustrated)
