HOUSTON — Texans safety Eric Murray had a wide-open running lane to the end zone. Justin Herbert could do nothing but turn away solemnly. Somehow the Chargers’ quarterback getting a pass intercepted and returned for a touchdown for the first time in 46 games wasn’t the low point of a season-ending loss Saturday.
Herbert had his worst game of the season at the worst time. His career-high four interceptions — including his first pick-six since a Sept. 15, 2022 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs — doomed the Chargers to a 32-12 AFC wild-card loss to the Houston Texans on Saturday at NRG Stadium.
As Houston lined up in victory formation with time running out, Herbert stood on the sideline with his hands on his hips. Rookie receiver Ladd McConkey, who caught nine passes for an NFL rookie playoff record 197 yards, approached the quarterback and held his hand out for a comforting shake.
Herbert didn’t move.
“I let the team down,” Herbert said.
A season that was supposed to mark a new era for the maligned franchise instead ended with familiar disappointment. Herbert, in his fifth season since the Chargers drafted him sixth overall, has yet to win a playoff game. His only other playoff experience was a 27-point collapse in Jacksonville in 2022.
With coach Jim Harbaugh, the Chargers appeared ready to reverse the team’s misfortunes. They had completed the franchise’s best single-season turnaround in two decades, going from five wins last season to 11. They entered Saturday’s wild-card game as betting favorites on the road.
They left still waiting for their first playoff win since 2018.
“They were the better team today, all respect to them,” Harbaugh said. “Not being the better team today, I’m accountable for that. That’s on me.”
Quarterback C.J. Stroud led Houston to its second consecutive appearance in the AFC divisional round with 282 yards passing, one touchdown pass and one pass intercepted while completing 22 of 33 pass attempts. The former Ohio State star rushed for 42 yards in six carries and used his legs to extend plays, none more important than the fumbled snap he lost at the Texans’ five-yard line that turned into a 34-yard pass to Xavier Hutchinson.
C.J. Stroud readies to grab a bad shotgun snap and then scrambles before completing a 34-yard pass to set up the Texans’ first score.
(Ashely Landis / Associated Press)
The play highlighted a 13-play, 99-yard touchdown drive, sparking a 10-point Texans scoring burst that took only 55 seconds and erased an early 6-0 Chargers lead.
“It kind of turned the game,” safety Derwin James Jr. said of the broken play. “We gotta make that play right there. Get off the field. We didn’t make enough plays today.”
The defense forced three takeaways, with two fumble recoveries and one interception, but the Chargers scored just three points off the Texans’ miscues.
Stroud opened the door by lofting an errant third-down pass that Chargers defensive back Deane Leonard snagged. Herbert returned the favor on the next play.
Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter (4) intercepts a pass intended for Chargers receiver Quentin Johnston (1) in the first half.
(Eric Christian Smith / Associated Press)
He rolled to his right and attempted a daring throw from the numbers on one side of the field all the way to the other sideline toward Quentin Johnston. Kamari Lassiter jumped in front of the underthrown pass.
The Chargers, still leading by six points early in the second quarter, didn’t flinch.
“After the first [interception], I was like, ‘let it fly,’” running back J.K. Dobbins said. “Just keep letting it fly. … Justin’s still an amazing quarterback.”
Herbert had just three passes intercepted all season. He matched that number in a little more than three quarters against the Texans.
After he missed Johnston, Herbert sailed a pass high over McConkey that got returned for a touchdown. He watched a ball glance off tight end Will Dissly’s hands and into Derek Stingley Jr.’s waiting arms. Stingley grabbed another on a deep shot with 2:45 remaining and the game already well out of the Chargers’ hands.
Sitting in his locker after the game, Herbert stared forward with a blank, sullen expression. His face was flushed red. Defensive lineman Morgan Fox leaned down to speak to him.
“I told him the same thing I would tell him if he threw 10 touchdowns,” Fox said. “I told him I was proud of him, there’s nobody I’d rather go to war with and keep his head up.”
Herbert finished with 242 yards passing and one touchdown pass while completing 14 of 32 throws. The 43.7% completion rate was the lowest in his NFL career.
Harbaugh called Herbert a “complete beast” against a Texans defensive front the coach believed was the best the Chargers have seen when it came to creating edge pressure. Houston had four sacks, nine quarterback hits and five tackles for lost yardage.
After the interception that bounced off Dissly’s hands, Herbert took back-to-back sacks to begin the next drive, but bounced back to find McConkey for an 86-yard touchdown pass on third and 26. The Houston crowd fell silent as the Chargers cut the deficit to 11 with 10:38 remaining.
Still, the Chargers couldn’t escape their reputation of “Chargering.”
Kicker Cameron Dicker’s extra point was blocked and, instead of jumping on the loose ball to end the play, Dicker batted it to the ground with two hands. Cornerback D’Angelo Ross grabbed the football and returned it for two points. That was the first two-point conversion return in NFL postseason history.
Such confounding plays had been absent from the Chargers in Harbaugh’s first season. The coach — whose famous attention to detail resulted in a record-setting seven-minute team photo shoot — had instilled the type of work ethic that seemed to eliminate unfortunate bounces and bad luck for a team long known for those misfortunes.
Harbaugh engineered a miraculous turnaround of the San Francisco 49ers in his first season, taking the team from six wins straight to the NFC championship game in his first season.
Through the sting of another early playoff exit, the Chargers still found belief that they could soon become another one of Harbaugh’s success stories.
“They’re definitely on the right track going forward,” Herbert said. “It didn’t show today. That’s the horrible thing about football, and everyone feels terrible. No one feels worse than I do.”