HOUSTON -- Last time Jim Harbaugh entered a postseason setting, confetti decorated the NRG Stadium surface in Houston as he was declared a national champion at his alma mater Michigan. After sitting on the throne of the collegiate level, the head coach moved to the professional ranks and instantly guided the Los Angeles Chargers into the waters of the NFL Playoffs.
Harbaugh changed the shades of blue and yellow on his getup, but the backdrop of NRG Stadium remained one constant for him as he returned to the postseason stage at a different level. However, the most notable change in his return to Houston was the result. His Chargers were subject to a 32-12 defeat at the hands of the Houston Texans, depriving the franchise an opportunity at its first Lombardi Trophy.
"They were the better team today, all respect to them," Harbaugh said. "And not being the better team today, I'm accountable for that... All facets. What in particular? That's to go through and look at."
In a quest for their first playoff victory since the 2018 campaign, the Chargers saw everything click in the opening moments. The issue was, their playmaking didn’t translate into a sizable advantage on the scoreboard. On the first drive of the 2024 NFL Playoffs, the Chargers infiltrated Texans’ territory. But the offensive momentum dissipated on a 3rd and 1 handoff that was stymied in the red zone, causing Cameron Dicker to hand Los Angeles a 3-0 lead.
The Texans’ first offensive play of the game immediately provided the Charger offense another opportunity to strike, as free safety Alohi Gilman ripped Texans’ wide receiver John Metchie III on a short reception. But once again, the Chargers only managed three points stemming from the leg of Dicker — plagued by a sack and a drop.
"It was good. We came out swinging," Gilman said of the defensive effort. "We had a couple things before the half that we could have done better. Even then, you get back on the drawing board and then you keep rolling. I felt we could have done better in the second and third quarter, but either way, we kept them to a good spot."
Los Angeles’ defense continued to assert its will and even forced two additional turnovers, but the Chargers failed to tangibly capitalize on those takeaways with points. Cornerback Deane Leonard was perfectly positioned in zone coverage near the sideline to snag a C.J. Stroud misfire, but on the ensuing play from Texans territory, Justin Herbert delivered an across-the-body deep shot right back to Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter.
Although the score read 6-0, the contest was seemingly dominated by the Chargers until one massive turning point. On an improbable 3rd and 16 deep in their own territory, the Texans watched an errant snap fly past Stroud’s helmet. However, the quarterback scooped up the loose pigskin, scrambled to his right, and fired it to Xavier Hutchinson for a 34-yard pickup. Houston’s offense completely revived as Stroud subsequently hit Nico Collins for a 37-yard gain. Then the Stroud and Collins connection concluded the drive with a 13-yard slant for the go-ahead touchdown. To add fuel to the fire, the Charger defense quickly faced a three-and-out, allowing the Texans to claim a 10-6 halftime advantage.
"On that third down when they bobbled the snap, that kind of turned the game," strong safety Derwin James Jr. said. "We had them backed up. We've got to make that play right there to get off the field. Because of the fumble, every guy (was out of coverage) a little bit. Guys are just scrambling around trying to find somebody. We think the ball is going in the end zone, but hats off to C.J. He just made a good play."
While the turnover battle benefited the Chargers in the first half, that facet of the game ultimately destroyed the team’s Divisional Round aspirations in the second half. Los Angeles recovered a fumble on the Texans’ first offensive drive of the third quarter, and on the next series, James appeared to intercept a jump ball in the end zone. However, the replay booth overturned James' interception to an incompletion and the Texans notched three points off that exchange — a major inflection point in the second half.
"I'm not refereeing the game," James said on the overturned interception. "I'm just trying to play hard and make plays for my team. I just kept moving."
The overturned interception when the Chargers truly began to unravel. Trailing 13-6, Herbert then overthrew a curl to Ladd McConkey and Texans strong safety Eric Murray returned the goods for a 38-yard pick-six. Los Angeles nearly tossed a second-straight pick-six the following drive when a ball ricocheted off the hands of Will Dissly and into the gloves of cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. However, the First Team All-Pro selection was wrapped up short of the end zone on his 54-yard interception return and the Texans managed a field goal to claim 23 unanswered points.
"Honestly, I did not have any reaction to that," running back J.K. Dobbins said of Herbert's interceptions. "I told him, 'Let it fly. Just keep letting it fly.' It just didn't go our way today. Justin's still an amazing quarterback. I'm so glad I got to play with him."
Stingley’s interception was the sixth of the seven turnovers in a defensively-driven game, but that was just a fraction of the madness that was to come. Immediately after the Texans captured a 23-6 lead, pure chaos transpired in the early fourth quarter. After taking consecutive sacks, Herbert converted a 3rd and 26 with a downfield bomb to McConkey who broke free for an 86-yard touchdown — his prevailing highlight in a historic 197-yard outing.
"He just finds a way to make plays," Herbert said of McConkey, who set the NFL rookie record for single-game postseason receiving yards. "We're a better team with him. He's a true ball player and it was incredible to watch him play today."
Yet, the Texans still found a way to score points on the Chargers’ only touchdown of the evening. Denico Autry blocked the extra point and D’Angelo Ross retrieved it the other direction for two, rewriting the score to 25-12. Houston provided the parting shot later in the period on a 17-yard Joe Mixon touchdown run to advance to the next round.
The Chargers’ exhibited the No. 1 scoring defense in the NFL this season, and the unit held up in Houston for a substantial amount of time, forcing a shutout until the final minute of the first half. However, the offensive performance doomed them on the road as Herbert completed 14-of-32 attempts marred by four interceptions, while the run game added just 50 yards with an average of 2.8 per attempt.
"It was not good enough by any standards today," Herbert said. "I put the team in jeopardy and in a tough position with all those turnovers. That's on me to keep getting better and keep pushing forward."
2024 certainly turned out as a positive year for the Chargers, which recorded their second 11-win season and fourth playoff appearance since 2010. However, the arduous path to the Super Bowl came to a quick conclusion in Houston, and Harbaugh aims to channel the experience of this postseason loss into something greater in the future — just like he did in his last trip to NRG Stadium as a Michigan Wolverine.
"Favorite ball team I've ever been on," Harbaugh said. "Only thing I can promise is the sun will come up tomorrow and we will be attacking it with the most enthusiasm known to mankind."