FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Late in the fourth quarter, with almost all the Chargers’ starters standing on the sideline waiting out a 40-7 rout over the New England Patriots, Derwin James Jr. leaned in close to Justin Herbert. The safety had watched the way the Chargers’ star quarterback stayed late at the practice facility. How he watched film immediately after getting off the team plane after road games. How he gritted his teeth through injuries to hobble around on sprained ankles this season.
James wanted to make sure Herbert knew it was all appreciated.
“I wouldn’t rather have no other quarterback,” the two-time first-team All-Pro safety said.
Herbert played what coach Jim Harbaugh called a “near flawless” game to help the Chargers clinch their first playoff berth since 2022, blowing out the hapless Patriots (3-13) at Gillette Stadium on Saturday.
Herbert completed 26 of 38 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns as the Chargers (10-6) put up a season-high in points. Even while watching the end of the game from the sideline after leaving with a 30-point lead and 10:54 remaining, Herbert was still among the first players onto the field to high-five and encourage teammates after each drive.
“I can’t think of one play or one throw or one check or one ball placed where it shouldn’t have been,” Harbaugh said. “Just an incredible performance by an incredible player.”
It felt like business as usual for Herbert.
A first-quarter highlight reel catch from receiver Derius Davis — who laid out in a full Superman position to reel in his second touchdown in as many games — elicited calm high-fives from Herbert.
When he laced a ball through four defenders to Ladd McConkey for a six-yard touchdown in the second quarter, Herbert gave the rookie receiver a formal handshake. The Chargers had jumped ahead 17-0, a lead that felt insurmountable for a Patriots team that was vying for draft positioning instead of playoff hopes.
“It’s a testament to all the hard work that we’ve put in this offseason,” Herbert said of returning to the playoffs. “The way things have gone, it’s been an honor to play alongside this team. We had a huge opportunity tonight and we went out and took it.”
McConkey, who finished with eight catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns, claimed Chargers rookie receiving records with 77 catches and 1,054 yards this season.
Herbert became the third quarterback in NFL history to pass for 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns in each of his first five pro seasons, joining Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson. He also surpassed Manning for the most yards passing in the first five NFL seasons, but is now fixated on a more important achievement.
The Chargers have not won a playoff game since 2018.
“We know a new season is just beginning,” said James, who had two sacks, both on fourth down, for the first multi-sack game of his career. “We’re not settled just getting in the playoffs. We know where we want to be, we know what type of team we want to be, so, man, we just want to keep going.
The Chargers, who spent much of the season jockeying between the sixth and seventh seeds, could move into the fifth seed next week. To get in position for a favorable postseason matchup at No. 4 seed Houston (9-7), the Chargers would have to win in Las Vegas (3-12) and get a Steelers loss to the Bengals in Week 18.
Pittsburgh (10-6) owns the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Chargers with a Week 3 victory, but has lost three consecutive games to fall from the top of the AFC North.
Herbert left the game against the Steelers in the third quarter with a sprained ankle. The Chargers struggled to find rhythm on offense throughout the season with their quarterback playing sometimes at 20% health in a new system with unfamiliar receivers.
With back-to-back games of season-high point totals, however, Herbert has the Chargers rolling into the postseason. His teammates are ready to follow him there.
“The guy has battled his ass off all year,” center Bradley Bozeman said. “Just truly, the definition of grit.”
Herbert lauded the organization’s unity during his postgame news conference during which he wore a hat with a picture of an elevator crossed out on the front. It was an homage from receiver Simi Fehoko to the team’s preseason incident in a broken elevator.
“Everyone plays for each other,” Herbert said. “They play for the coaches, and they obviously play for the Chargers fan base as well.”
Before escaping the cold and wet afternoon and ducking into the locker room, Herbert made one final play for that loyal fan base. He greeted the group of soggy fans gathered behind the Chargers bench, posing for pictures and signing autographs.
