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The Chargers were eliminated in a 16-3 loss to the Patriots in New England on Sunday.
Here's what to take away from LA's final game of the season.
Offensive disaster
The Chargers will likely point to the massive list of injuries on offense this season - Rashawn Slater, Joe Alt, Omarion Hampton, Justin Herbert's broken hand, a league-high 32 different offensive line combinations - and back offensive coordinator Greg Roman and offensive line coach Mike Devlin for a third season. But Sunday had the same problems every Chargers loss has had. The run game generated nothing, aside from Herbert scrambling for his life. The offensive line remains unable to pick up a stunt, resulting in 11 hits of Herbert that seemed to get progressively more cartoonish in their brutality. Receivers were not open, and there was no open space anywhere on the field, on and on. It's hard to blame those who will place this loss on the shoulders of the offensive coaching staff.
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Justin Herbert struggles
Make no mistake, however: for as poorly as the offensive structure around him was, Herbert did not play nearly his best game on Sunday. In a crucial stretch early in the second half, Herbert was 1-for-7 passing and essentially turned every dropback into an immediate scramble drill to move the ball even slightly before losing a strip sack fumble. He looked strained as the pocket started to break down, choosing to try to run through Patriots defenders rather than around them. The Chargers quarterback finished 19-of-31 passing for 159 yards and took six sacks in a game that will engender months of discourse about his ability to rise to the occasion when his team needs him most.
Missed opportunities
The Chargers' defense gave Los Angeles every opportunity to take control of this game. New England could not finish a drive until scoring the dagger touchdown in the fourth quarter and held a 6-3 lead at halftime, with the Chargers set to receive the ball to open the second half. LA went three-and-out. When Daiyan Henley intercepted Drake Maye and gave LA the ball on the 10-yard line, the Chargers failed on fourth and goal from the 2. With another chance in the red zone, the Chargers settled for a 21-yard field goal from the 3. Henley was outmaneuvered for a Maye fumble late by guard Jared Wilson, who made a diving recovery to stop Henley from what would've likely been a 50-yard fumble return for a touchdown.
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Defensive gems
There's a real argument that LA's two best defensive players on Sunday were pending free agents. Defensive tackle Teair Tart had 4 tackles, 2 for loss, sacked Maye once, and tipped the pass that turned into Henley's interception. Edge rusher Odafe Oweh sacked Maye three times, including that strip sack recovered by Wilson, and seemed to come up biggest when the Chargers needed a spark. With two months of exclusive negotiations ahead, LA needs to prioritize keeping both men in the building for 2026 and beyond if they hope to replicate 2025's defensive success.
Outmatched special teams
Los Angeles has a reckoning on its hands with the special teams unit this offseason as well. Kick returner Derius Davis has struggled mightily due to injuries this season, but even fully off the injury report, he doesn't look to have the same explosiveness he once did en route to All-Pro honors as a rookie. Davis averaged only 25 yards a return on Sunday and gave the Chargers a starting field position behind the 30-yard line 3 out of 4 times he elected to return. Punter JK Scott's day doesn't look awful overall with 3 balls inside the 20, but a 33-yard punt before the half and a touchback for a net yardage of 34 yards led to 10 of New England's 16 points.
This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: Chargers vs. Patriots: 5 takeaways from LA’s 16-3 loss
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