Justin Herbert: I didn't play well enough and didn't make any plays

The Chargers' formula for success this season was a strong defense and strong play by quarterback Justin Herbert, but they only got half of that package in New England on Sunday night.

Their defense was the half that showed up. The unit forced two turnovers while holding the Patriots to field goals through the first three quarters of the game, but Herbert and the offense couldn't get anything going in New England. They punted four times and turned the ball over on downs on the Patriots' 2-yard line before the Patriots broke the game open with a Hunter Henry touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.

Herbert became a sitting duck against a heavy blitz at that point and finished the night 19-of-31 for 158 yards while being sacked six times. He was able to run for 57 yards, but he offered up a blunt assessment of his play in the postgame press conference.

"I didn't play well enough and didn't make any plays," Herbert said, via a transcript from the Patriots. "When it mattered most we didn't score any points."

The loss was Herbert's third in three playoff tries and the quarterback's play has been underwhelming in each of those trips. Herbert was asked about how confident he is that the team will eventually break through in the postseason.

"Yeah, I don't know," Herbert said. "I haven't figured it out yet. Hasn't happened, so we'll have to reevaluate and see what happens."

Herbert did not point to missing both starting tackles or his broken left hand as reasons for this year's disappointing result. They were certainly factors, but there's been different factors each season and Herbert's been the common thread to a narrative that can't change soon enough for the Chargers.