The Los Angeles Chargers (11-5) had a chance to make their regular season-ending game against the Denver Broncos turn into a battle for the AFC West crown. However, when they lost to the Houston Texans in Week 17, that chance disappeared. The Chargers will be playing postseason football, but they will do it as a Wild Card team and not as a division champion.
Quarterback Justin Herbert has had an excellent season and he showed off his ability and toughness in the 20-16 loss to the Texans. However, he was let down quite a bit by his teammates and it seemed he was fighting the battle against Houston almost by himself.
Herbert was sacked 5 times for 35 yards in losses in the game as the Chargers offensive line simply could not protect him well enough at various points in the game. In addition to the sacks, he was under pressure throughout as he had to use his athleticism to escape the pass rush. He also suffered several big hits during the game after he released his passes.
Herbert was the leading ground gainer in the game for the Chargers, carrying the ball 6 times for 37 yards. If the Chargers were going to defeat the surging Texans, he would have needed to get some solid assistance from running back Omarion Hampton. That did not happen as the rookie running back was held to 29 yards on 14 carries.
While the supporting cast on offense was subpar against the Texans, the defense did not get the job done either. Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud completed 16 of 28 passes for 244 yards with 2 TDs and 2 interceptions. Additionally, the Texans dominated in several key areas. They had a 362-275 advantage in total yards and a 118-74 edge in rushing yards.
Poor start for Chargers gave Texans a huge edge
The biggest issue was the poor Los Angeles start. The Texans hit the Chargers with 2 TDs before the game was 6 minutes old and the home team never recovered.
While the loss to the Texans was painful and cost the Chargers a chance to steal the AFC West from the Broncos, head coach Jim Harbaugh's team will have a chance to overcome these problems and provide Herbert with much greater support in the playoffs.
That is what Harbaugh and his coaches have to figure out before the Chargers' first playoff game. Harbaugh has been successful in the regular season with the Chargers. They were 11-6 last year in the regular season and that was good enough to earn them a spot in the playoffs. However, they were overwhelmed by the Texans 32-12 in last year's playoff meeting.
That was clearly one of the team's worst efforts a year ago and Harbaugh wants to see his team avoid that kind of performance this year.
The preparation for the postseason may have started already. The Chargers are planning to rest several of their starters in Week 18 against the Broncos and it's clear that the coach does not want to put any of his key players at risk in a game that is not going to help them.
That includes Herbert, who is likely to receive quite a few votes in the Most Valuable Player race. That's good news for the Broncos, because Herbert led the Chargers to a season sweep of the Broncos last year and also helped the Broncos earn a 23-20 triumph over Denver in Week 3 this season.
Chargers need more from running game and receivers going forward
Herbert has taken a lot of physical abuse this season as he has been sacked 54 times for 301 yards in losses. The offensive line is going to have to step up and perform at a higher level in the postseason. Herbert has completed 340 of 512 passes for 3,727 yards with 26 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
The quarterback needs support from running backs Kimani Vidal and Hampton in the postseason. Vidal (neck) and Hampton (ankle) should be ready to go in the postseason, and that duo must produce. Hampton is not going to play in the regular-season finale against Denver.
The WR crew of Ladd McConkey, Keenan Allen and Quentin Johnston along with tight end Oronde Gadsden II must produce on a consistent basis. Consistency has been an issue this season — especially for Johnston – but he is capable of producing the big plays at the end of the game that may be needed to turn defeat into victory.
