Los Angeles Chargers' Justin Herbert Seeking First NFL Playoff Win vs. Texans

Former Oregon Ducks and current Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert will make his second career NFL playoff appearance on Saturday afternoon against the Houston Texans. The Chargers had only made it to the playoffs one time since drafting Herbert in 2020.

Justin Herbert Back in NFL Playoffs

Jan 5, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) throws the ball against the Las Vegas Raiders in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

When the Los Angeles Chargers kick off against the Houston Texans, it will be the second career playoff start for Charger quarterback Justin Herbert. Herbert has started one playoff game previously in his career. That came in the 2022-2023 season against the Jacksonville Jaguars. That game is not fond in my minds of Chargers fans, as Los Angeles blew a 27-0 lead and lost on a last second field goal 31-30.

The Chargers have not won a playoff game since the 2018-2019 season, back when Phillip Rivers was the starting quarterback.

A win on Saturday would mark the first playoff win in the young career of Justin Herbert's career. Since he took the field in 2020, Herbert has been viewed as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. It has not translated to many wins as the Chargers missed the playoffs in three of his first four seasons as starter. Herbert can put some of the discussion of him not being a winning quarterback to bed with a win in Houston in the Wild Card Round.

The injury riddled Texans are limping into the playoffs, losing two of their last three games. It's a golden opportunity for the Chargers to advance to the next round.

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Jim Harbaugh Turns Around Los Angeles Chargers

Dec 19, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh congratulates running back Hassan Haskins (28) after a touchdown in the second half against the Denver Broncos at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Chargers went from 5-12 in 2023 to 11-6 and clinched a playoff berth in 2024. How did they improve so quickly? That would be because of first year head coach Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh has a knack for turning teams around the second he walks through the door.

At his previous two stops with the San Francisco 49ers and the Michigan Wolverines, he did just that. The 49ers were coming off a 6-10 season when they hired Harbaugh. Immediately in his first year, San Francisco went 13-3 and were a play away in the NFC Championship game from going to the Super Bowl.

After the Harbaugh and 49ers split up following the 2014-2015 season, Harbaugh was hired to coach his alma matter, the Michigan Wolverines. Michigan had just fired their coach and was coming off a disappointing 5-7 season. Again, in year one, Harbaugh righted the ship and led Michigan to a 10-3 season. He capped his time off at Michigan with a National Championship in the 2023-2024 season before going back to the NFL.

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