Man, being a Chargers fan is basically a full-time job in emotional management. You think they’ve finally turned the corner under Jim Harbaugh, and then they go and lay an egg in the most important game of the year. If you’ve been following the Chargers last 5 games, you know exactly what I’m talking about. It was a rollercoaster. We saw a four-game winning streak that had everyone in Los Angeles (and probably Michigan) dreaming of a deep playoff run, only for the wheels to come off right when the weather started getting cold.
Honestly, the way this regular season ended was kind of a gut punch. After a weirdly dominant stretch through mid-December, the team stumbled through the final two weeks and then looked completely lost in the Wild Card round against the Patriots. It's that classic Chargers "hope" that gets you every time. But if we look at the actual numbers and the film from these last five outings—stretching from that tight win over the Chiefs to the playoff disaster in Foxborough—there’s a lot more to the story than just "they choked."
Breaking down the Chargers last 5 games
The momentum shifted significantly during the final month of the 2025 season. Before the late-season skid, the Chargers were actually the hottest team in the AFC West, even if they couldn’t quite catch the Broncos for the division title. Let's look at how the final stretch actually played out on the field.
The Peak: Winning at Arrowhead and Dallas
The high point of the entire season happened in Week 15 and 16. Going into GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium and beating the Chiefs 16–13 was a statement. Justin Herbert wasn't flashy—he threw for 210 yards and a touchdown—but the defense was absolutely suffocating. They held Kansas City to just 13 points, which is basically a miracle in the modern NFL.
Then came the Dallas game. This was the offensive explosion we’d all been waiting for. Herbert was surgical, going 23-of-29 for 300 yards and two scores. The 34–17 win over the Cowboys in Week 16 officially clinched a playoff berth. At that moment, Harbaugh looked like a genius. The team was 11–4, the defense was ranked in the top five, and it felt like nobody wanted to see the Bolts in January.
The Slide: Weeks 17 and 18
Then, things got weird. Maybe it was a "playoff hangover" from clinching early, but the Week 17 loss to the Houston Texans (16–20) was a massive warning sign. The offense looked sluggish. Herbert was sacked five times, and the run game, which had been the backbone of Greg Roman's scheme, just vanished.
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The season finale against Denver was even worse. A 19–3 loss where the offense couldn't even find the end zone once. Sure, some people argued they were resting up or playing "safe" ball, but losing momentum heading into the postseason is a dangerous game. By the time the Chargers last 5 games were in the books, they had fallen from the potential #2 seed talk down to a road trip in the Wild Card round.
The Playoff Disaster in New England
The 16–3 loss to the New England Patriots in the Wild Card round was, frankly, hard to watch. 3 points. In a playoff game. With Justin Herbert at quarterback. The Patriots' defense, led by Jerod Mayo, basically put Herbert in a blender. He was sacked 6 times and hit constantly. The "Harbaugh Effect" was supposed to prevent these kinds of non-competitive post-season exits, but the reality is that the offensive line just couldn't hold up.
What most people get wrong about the offense
There’s a common narrative that Justin Herbert "regressed" during this final five-game stretch. That’s a bit of a lazy take. If you look at the stats from StatMuse and Pro Football Reference, Herbert's passer rating over the Chargers last 5 games was still a respectable 93.2. He threw for nearly 1,200 yards and 9 touchdowns against 5 interceptions.
The real issue? Protection and the run game. In the losses to Houston, Denver, and New England, Herbert was sacked a combined 16 times. That’s an average of over 5 sacks per game. You could have Tom Brady back there and it wouldn't matter if he's on his back every third drop-back. The offensive line, which had been solid for most of the year with rookie Joe Alt playing like a veteran, seemed to hit a wall.
Also, let's talk about the "run-heavy" identity. Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman want to "bully" teams. But in those final three losses, the Chargers averaged less than 4 yards per carry. When Kimani Vidal and Omarion Hampton aren't finding holes, the entire play-action game that Herbert thrives on just dies. It makes the offense predictable, and NFL defensive coordinators are way too smart to let you get away with that.
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The Defense: A Bright Spot with a Dark Ending
While the offense was sputtering, Jesse Minter’s defense was actually holding up its end of the bargain for most of the Chargers last 5 games. Even in the losses, the point totals allowed were 20, 19, and 16. In the NFL, if your defense holds the opponent to 16 points in a playoff game, you’re supposed to win that game 99% of the time.
- Derwin James remained the emotional leader, earning another Pro Bowl nod.
- Tuli Tuipulotu emerged as a legitimate pass-rushing threat, filling the void left by Joey Bosa's departure earlier in the year.
- Daiyan Henley led the team in tackles and showed he's the future at linebacker.
The defense finished the regular season ranked 5th in yards allowed per game (285.2) and 9th in points allowed (20.0). They were a top-tier unit. The tragedy of the 2025 season is that the defense finally became elite just as the offense decided to take a month-long nap.
Why the Wild Card loss still matters for 2026
It’s easy to dismiss the end of the season as "just another Chargers collapse," but this felt different. In years past, the Chargers lost because they were undisciplined or had a bottom-tier defense that couldn't stop a nosebleed. This time, the structure was there.
Harbaugh has installed a culture of physicality. You saw it in the win over the Eagles in Week 14 and the sweep of the Cowboys. The team finished 11–6 for the second straight year, which is the first time they’ve had back-to-back playoff appearances since the 2008-2009 era. That’s not nothing.
However, the limitations of the current roster were exposed in those Chargers last 5 games. They need more speed at wide receiver. Ladd McConkey is a stud, and Tre Harris showed flashes, but they lack a true "take the lid off" deep threat that keeps safeties from crowding the line of scrimmage. When teams don't fear the deep ball, they can blitz Herbert with impunity—which is exactly what New England did.
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What’s next for the Bolts?
If the Chargers want to avoid another late-season fade in 2026, the priorities are pretty clear. It’s not about changing the philosophy; it’s about perfecting it.
First, the interior of the offensive line needs a massive upgrade. Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater are bookend tackles that most teams would kill for, but the pressure Herbert faced up the middle in the playoffs was the primary reason for the 3-point outing. Second, they need to find a way to keep the running backs fresh. Omarion Hampton had a great rookie year, but he looked gassed by Week 17.
Basically, the Chargers last 5 games showed us that the ceiling for this team is a Super Bowl, but the floor is still a frustratingly early playoff exit. Harbaugh has the foundation, but he needs a few more pieces to actually build the house.
To get back on track for next season, keep an eye on these specific moves:
- Free Agency: Targeting a veteran interior lineman who can handle the "A-gap" blitzes that haunted the team in January.
- Drafting Speed: Finding a vertical threat in the early rounds of the 2026 draft to prevent teams from stacking 8 in the box.
- Scheme Adjustments: Greg Roman may need to incorporate more quick-game concepts to help Herbert get the ball out faster when the protection breaks down.
The 2025 season was a step in the right direction, even if it ended with a thud in the snow of Massachusetts. The era of being a "soft" team is over—now they just need to become a consistent one.