Chargers’ Justin Herbert skewered for nightmare performance in playoff meltdown vs. Texans

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert threw four interceptions in his team’s 32-12 playoff loss to the Houston Texans Saturday. Herbert threw just three interceptions during the regular season, joining Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers as the only quarterbacks to throw three or fewer in a season. 

But Herbert didn’t resemble Brady or Rodgers at any point during his calamitous day Saturday. With four interceptions and just 14 completions on 32 attempts, Herbert had, arguably, the worst performance of his career. 

It also dropped him to 0-2 in the playoffs. His only other playoff game was the historic collapse against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2022 wild-card round. 

Herbert was the target of intense criticism on social media during and after Saturday’s game. 

Saturday’s game also featured a unique moment in NFL playoff history. 

Houston’s D’Angelo Ross returned a blocked extra point for two points in the fourth quarter, the first such play in NFL postseason history.

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The play came after Ladd McConkey scored on an 86-yard reception early in the fourth quarter. Cameron Dicker’s extra point attempt was blocked by Denico Autry.

The ball flew high in the air on the deflection and Dicker tried to knock it down, but it bounced off his hands. Ross grabbed it and returned it for the score that pushed Houston’s lead to 25-12.

The NFL began awarding two points for an extra point returned to the end zone in 2015. Before that, a blocked extra point recovered by the defense was a dead ball.

It was the ninth extra point returned for a score since the rule change, according to Sportradar. It happened once in the 2024 regular season when the Eagles did it against Tampa Bay Sept. 29.

With the loss, the Chargers end their season without a playoff win for the sixth straight season. They haven’t won a playoff game since Phillip Rivers’ last postseason run with the team in 2018, when they beat the Baltimore Ravens in a wild-card game. 

The Texans won a playoff game for the second straight year, led by quarterback C.J. Stroud and head coach DeMeco Ryans. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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