Fans Felt Bad Watching Justin Herbert Take a Beating from Patriots Defense

The Chargers’ wild-card round loss against the Patriots was a truly pitiful display. Their battered and beaten offensive line simply could not hold its own against New England’s pass rush, which was relentless in its pursuit of quarterback Justin Herbert throughout the evening.

Herbert was sacked six times and took an absolute beating in the game. The Patriots racked up 11 quarterback hits, and Herbert was also brought down multiple times while running with the ball. It seemed as if every time Herbert dropped back, he was immediately pressured and was getting leveled by a defender.

Fans watching at home were having a tough time not feeling sorry for the Chargers’ quarterback. With so many injuries along the offensive line, Los Angeles’s ragtag group was not up to the standards needed to slow down the Patriots. Football fans took to social media to acknowledge just how tough a go it was for Herbert in the 16–3 loss.

Milton Williams says good night to the #Chargers. The #Patriots advance. pic.twitter.com/NbUEPJqpmN
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 12, 2026

They're going to have to carry him up the steps to the plane. https://t.co/9mcwejJKaJ
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) January 12, 2026

Herbert has to be in pain 😱
— Kayla Anderson (@KaylaAndersonTV) January 12, 2026

3 stars tonight

1. Patriots defense
2. Patriots crowd
3. Justin Herbert's will to live
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) January 12, 2026

Justin Herbert on the field after every Patriots pass rush pic.twitter.com/eWO1kMGrpm
— NFL Memes (@NFLMemes) January 12, 2026

I wonder at some point if Herbert is vocal this offseason about his lack of protection. I know his OTs are hurt but if the Chargers don’t spend every resource to upgrade IOL and backups … what are they doing. https://t.co/Kiy5TEm2bG
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) January 12, 2026

Herbert absolutely has some responsibility for Sunday’s loss. But with virtually no time to throw, and offensive linemen that were being outplayed every snap, his work was cut out for him in the wild-card round. He’s now 0–3 in his career in the postseason, and his performance on Sunday is one he’ll quickly hope to forget.