Jim Harbaugh seemed to vanish Sunday night.
The Chargers fell 16-3 to the Patriots in a Wild Card matchup, struggling significantly on offense. It appears they were completely unaware of how New England’s defense was approaching them.
Patriots reporter Evan Lazar revealed that veteran linebacker Robert Spillane noted the Chargers’ offense admitted they were clueless about the defensive schemes.
“Zack [Kuhr, the defensive coordinator] was exceptional all season long. He makes adjustments that keep the offense guessing,” Spillane commented after the game. “They came up to me and said, ‘We really had no idea what you guys were doing during the game.’”
The Chargers have been dealing with a depleted roster for much of the season, especially after losing star tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, which has forced quarterback Justin Herbert to scramble.
“We just weren’t good enough,” Harbaugh admitted post-game. “We couldn’t score enough to maintain drives. Our defense spent too much time on the field. It just wasn’t our time to shine tonight.”
The critical moment in the match put them in a tough spot early on.
After intercepting Drake Maye at their own 10-yard line, the Chargers failed to capitalize and ultimately turned the ball over on downs.
“It’s on us to execute,” Harbaugh stated. “As I always say, scoring in the red zone is essential, converting on third downs matters, and we didn’t handle any of that today.”
Herbert completed 19 out of 32 passes for 159 yards without any touchdowns or interceptions. More disconcerting was that he faced six sacks and was pressured 30 times on just 31 attempts, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Patriots are set to take on the winner of the Texans-Steelers game in the next round, while the Chargers will be looking forward to next season, aiming for the return of their injured offensive tackles.
