The Los Angeles Chargers were on life support late in their Wild Card game Sunday against the New England Patriots. The plug got pulled on one miserable play involving Justin Herbert.
With the Chargers trailing 16-3 in the fourth quarter, Herbert was doing all he could to keep his team alive at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Herbert scrambled on back-to-back plays for a combined 27 yards to get Los Angeles into New England territory.
Herbert’s acts of heroism didn’t work for much longer. Two plays later, the Patriots’ defense locked the Chargers QB in the proverbial torture chamber. The pocket collapsed on Herbert, who got swarmed by New England pass rushers from every angle.
The #Patriots defense is starting to pour it on. pic.twitter.com/oAR56xPOcW
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 12, 2026
Herbert fumbled and Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss was the first to the ball. The play was pretty much a microcosm of the game and even the season for the Chargers.
It was one of the stories of the game for the Chargers, who just could not protect their QB with their season on the line. Herbert got sacked six times for 39 yards. Four of them came in the fourth quarter as New England put the game away with its defense.
The Chargers have gone to borderline absurd lengths to protect Herbert. But injuries decimated a Los Angeles offensive line that got exposed Sunday in the team’s 16-3 loss in the Wild Card round.
