While the head coach said he didn’t have the answers to a lot of questions after the loss, for a rah-rah leader like Harbaugh to not instinctively back his play-caller, even superficially, is notable.
Harbaugh was given another chance to back Roman and replied similarly.
“I don’t have that answer right now,” he said. “I know you’re being very specific. We weren’t good enough as a team. That’s what we do. We win as a team and we lose as a team. That’s my responsibility to have the team in a better position.”
The three-point output on Sunday night is the fewest points in a playoff game since the Baltimore Ravens also put up three points in the 2020 Divisional Round loss to the Buffalo Bills. The common thread between the 2025 Los Angeles Chargers and 2020 Baltimore Ravens: Greg Roman.
Roman had success with the San Francisco 49ers during Harbaugh’s first run in the NFL. Since then, it’s been a postseason nightmare. In stints with the Bills, Ravens and Chargers, Roman has led offenses that went to the playoffs five times — three with the Ravens, two with the Chargers. Those teams went 1-5. In that span, Roman never had an offense put up more than 20 points in a postseason contest.
With Herbert and Lamar Jackson starting under center in five of those six contests (Tyler Huntley made one start for Baltimore in 2022), Roman’s teams put up three points twice, 12 points twice and 20 points once.
There are certainly circumstances that can explain away the postseason ineptitude of Roman’s offense, including O-line injuries in 2025, but eventually the finger of blame spins to the offensive coordinator whose offenses crumble in the big spot.
Herbert, for his part, shouldered the blame for the offensive struggles on Sunday in New England.
“I didn’t play well enough and didn’t make any plays,” said the QB who was sacked five times. “When it mattered most we didn’t score any points.”
In the coming days, we’ll see if Harbaugh backs Roman or if the Chargers decide it’s time to go in another direction with their play-caller.
