What happened to the Chargers in this game was exactly what I’ve been warning about and post-game complaining about for several weeks now. You cannot have the worst offensive line in the NFL (right there with Houston) and expect to go out in the playoffs to a cold, Northeastern home stadium against a team that is better than you simply because their offensive line is somewhat intact and halfway decent...you cannot expect to pull off an upset with that setup.
I know I’ve said the same things over and over and over and over and over and over for the last two months about the problem the Chargers' offensive line thrust onto their entire, formerly great offense. I plan on drilling this into my head and everybody else’s head for as long as I think I need to: this 2025 Chargers situation—with the line injuries and issues—is the harbinger for the entire NFL right now and into the future. The harbinger being: almost all games involving teams with good or great QBs on both sides are, more times than not, going to be determined NOT by the QBs...but by the offensive line quality (and/or health) of either team. NFL games/seasons are no longer just about the power of the QB. It’s about the power of the offensive line primarily, with a few other things mixed in as well, like at least having a halfway competent QB...in the playoffs every team has a competent or better QB.
The summary of this game is: another Chargers opponent sacked Justin Herbert way too many times, hit him way too many times, and pressured him way too many times to the point that the great Justin Herbert could not put on his Superman cape and try to win the game like he has in all the Chargers' recent wins.
I’m telling this game story, so far, from the perspective of the Chargers because that’s what’s warranted in my eyes. I can’t tell you how good or great the Patriots are (or aren’t) by this game outcome because the Chargers were flawed beyond repair and were not even really a legitimate playoff team due to the offensive line issues. For all the advantages the Patriots had going into and during this game, it was only 9-3 in favor of New England going into the fourth quarter. It’s not like the Pats crafted a masterpiece here; they just stayed stable and watched the Chargers collapse around them.
Apparently, it was so bad that a few days after this game, the Chargers fired Greg Roman, longtime friend and colleague of Jim Harbaugh.
Why Roman is taking the fall for the serious offensive line issues beyond his control this season is a bit of a surprise to me. I’m not a huge Greg Roman fan, but was he the real issue here? I’m surprised his loyalty to Harbaugh ended up with Roman getting an ice pick to the heart because of the bad luck of offensive line injuries. I’m not just surprised that Harbaugh did this—I’m totally shocked.
The Chargers were really good (undefeated in-season) when Joe Alt was playing. Justin Herbert was an MVP-level QB when they had a semblance of an offensive line. Had Alt and Rashawn Slater stayed healthy, the Chargers could have won the Super Bowl with Greg Roman as the Offensive Coordinator. I was assuming this group being mostly intact for 2026, but with the added rocket boost of a healthy offensive line. Now, today, I am unsure about LAC's 2026 flow. I’m left waiting to see who Harbaugh hires as an Offensive Coordinator replacement. Maybe it’s going to be a huge upgrade? Maybe it’s going to be a monumental error by Harbaugh? Maybe he hires Todd Monken? I don’t even want to think about that possibility. But my "110% all-in" on the Chargers for FF 2026 has hit a pause button until I see what they’re doing at O-C.
That’s why I have not penned any articles, reports, or major "dream acquisition" guidance reports for FF/Dynasty, or started getting super jacked on a group of "buy-low" assets hidden from the mainstream view. I have to wait until all the dust settles with nearly 30% of NFL teams getting an entire new coaching staff—not to mention another group of teams who are either firing or losing their O-Cs to hiring/promotions elsewhere. There might be half the league's O-Cs replaced
After we get past the first two rounds of the NFL playoffs and these head coaching situations start to lock in, then I can start to try to find all the great hidden Dynasty assets out there. Right now, there’s too much flux going on to do anything but speculate and put a watchlist together.
That’s my main takeaway from this game...and I’ve barely talked about the game itself. There’s not much to talk about for the game itself. It was a battle of field goals in which the Chargers could not produce any offense because they cannot block anyone. The Pats took advantage of it; they didn't play the greatest game themselves, but they won the game. End of story.
The Pats move on to play a worse version of the Chargers' offense and offensive line (Houston), but also a radically better defense than the Chargers. Expect another low-scoring affair that the Patriots win because of the "offensive line vs. their opponent’s sad offensive line" advantage.
After I wrote all those thoughts on the game, then I dug deeper into the Harbaugh/Roman thing...
And just when I thought Harbaugh may be going crazy/over-reactionary, I went through the press conference notes on Harbaugh making the Roman move...and I am shocked, but more ‘good’ shocked...encouraged now. I can’t believe that Harbaugh is being this smart, savvy, proactive...throwing personal loyalty out the window, and making needed moves...and saying so right to America’s faces! Kudos to Jim Harbaugh (but I still need to see who you hire as the replacement).
Here’s a GEMINI summary of Harbaugh quotes on the Roman firing:
Key quotes from Jim Harbaugh following the playoff loss to the Patriots and the subsequent firing of Greg Roman.
Harbaugh's tone shifted from "stunned and noncommittal" on Sunday night to "aggressively seeking a modern upgrade" by Thursday’s press conference.
1. The Immediate Post-Game (Jan 11, 2026)
In the minutes following the 16–3 loss, Harbaugh was visibly shaken and refused to give Roman a vote of confidence, which was the first sign a change was coming.
- On the result: "We gave everything we had and it’s not good enough... We let the defense down today. We have to do better than three points."
- When asked if Roman was the right play-caller: "Right now, I don't have the answers... I wish I did. If I did, there would've been a different result. We’re going to look at that, and everything."
- On Justin Herbert’s performance: "Warrior. Doing anything and everything he could to move our team and get us in the end zone... He just gives it everything he has all the time."
2. The Firing Announcement (Jan 13, 2026)
When the team officially parted ways with Roman and O-line coach Mike Devlin, Harbaugh focused on the "results-oriented" nature of the league.
- On the decision: "A fresh start, a new direction. Greg is a great football mind... but it's a results-oriented business. We win as a team, we lose as a team, and it's my responsibility to have that team in a better position."
- On the O-line struggles: "The NFL is unforgiving, it’s unfair, it’s hard... multiple line combinations, that was true. It was very hard, very tough."
3. The "Year-End" Press Conference (Jan 15, 2026)
This is where Harbaugh laid out his vision for the 2026 season and what he wants in a new coordinator.
- The "Head Coach of the Offense" Quote: "We are looking for a head coach of the offense, number one. That person that teaches, installs, puts the players in the best position to be successful, and ultimately scores points."
- On the Search Strategy: "Wide net being cast. We’re looking for the best one that has a track record, has proven success, and can show us his vision for what our offense is going to look like and be like."
- On the Philosophy Change: "A lot of ways to skin a cat... We’re doing everything with one goal in mind, and that’s to win a championship."
- On the Future: "Not looking at this as an end, but as another beginning. Those that stay will be champions."
All I can say to Harbaugh is: https://youtu.be/DHNfCXioIVU?si=hu94syrtrJnXdJ3N
How do I feel about the Chargers 2026 situation now? https://youtube.com/shorts/Sp4Ca3GW1vQ?si=vNpxbn0jQfXdieEJ
Don’t make me regret it Harbs...do NOT hire Arthur Smith or Todd Monken...or anything close to that.
Harbaugh is on the right track -- out with the old in this era, in with the new (I hope) and supporting Herbert, as always.
Player Notes
-- I’m not going to dive too deep into all the Chargers assets/players that I love for the future because:
1) They all underperformed here once again because of the O-line problems.
2) There is a whole new O-C and offensive structure change about to happen.
We don’t know who or what that is at O-C, so there’s no sense in going deep on whether Ladd McConkey is a "buy-low" or whatever right now. I’ll be getting to it soon enough, because to me, the Chargers' offense is a huge wish list/watchlist for me for 2026 Fantasy Football.
When LAC hires an O-C, I’ll break it all down.
-- On the Pats' side, this game is being framed as: "The Patriots' defense is so awesome that they crushed Justin Herbert." People are saying/making fun of Herbert as always flopping in the playoffs. Everything about that narrative is wrong.
We don’t know how good the Patriots' defense is because the Chargers' offense was so at-risk and problematic for all the reasons I’ve been harping on. If the Patriots could only muster 16 points in this game where they held all the advantages, what’s going to happen when they play a great Texans defense?
Drawing the Chargers and the Texans in back-to-back playoff games—the two worst offensive lines by far in these playoffs—can be a bit of a "mirage" regarding how good the Patriots defense and team really are. I think the Patriots might be really good... like "go all the way to the Super Bowl" good in a bad year for the AFC. But they are not dominant, and they could lose to the Texans very easily this week. The Patriots were at risk of losing this game for three+ quarters.
I have some faith in the Patriots going forward not only because of the fortuitous playoff schedule, but because Drake Maye is playing some of the best quarterback in the entire NFL. I cannot tell you that Josh Allen or Matthew Stafford are definitively better than Drake Maye right now. That seems like a huge compliment, and it is, but I’m also making my other blanket statement on the NFL right now: every quarterback is good or great in the NFL now, with just a rare few exceptions.
Two other things I know about the Patriots that confuse me:
1) They are playing so well this season with such mediocre WR/TE weaponry at their disposal. It’s a huge ‘plus’ for Drake Maye’s MVP efforts.
2) TreVeyon Henderson seems like the best athlete and most major threat the team has, but week after week, it seems Vrabel/McDaniels are pained to even give him a touch.
At a minimum, TreVeyon Henderson is such an absolute screen-pass threat—he can take a little screen to the house. But then I look at the box score and see he got one target in this game, a game where NE wasn’t piling on the points versus the Jets...a critical game and Henderson is not a factor. Rhamondre Stevenson got more targets than Henderson and did well with them. Henderson has not been developed into a real weapon for the Patriots, and yet there’s a fighting chance he’s going to be the Offensive Rookie of the Year!?!?
The other confusing thing was that the Patriots have no real dominant receiver. Stefon Diggs will have a big game one week and then see a low target total for the next 2-3-4 games. I don’t know who Drake Maye’s favorite receiver is. That’s to the Pats' advantage for NFL purposes, but it’s madness for figuring out for Fantasy Football purposes.
Who is the "go-to" WR for the Patriots? Who is the one to own for fantasy? Who is the slick one to bet on for prop bets? I have no idea, and I’ve had no idea this entire season. That’s a credit to Drake Maye, but it’s also probably another 2026 harbinger: the Patriots' receivers are not going to be great/predictable for fantasy. There is absolutely no evidence that they’re going to be, or maybe that they're even capable of it.
Snap Counts of Interest:
56 = HHenry
40 = Diggs
38 = Hooper
34 = Boutte
26 = Westover
21 = Kyle Williams
21 = DeMario
14 = Chism
40 = Stevenson
26 = TreVeyon
