Justin Herbert refuses to bury painful 2024 playoff loss ahead of Week 17 matchup against Texans

Justin Herbert helped the Los Angeles Chargers to their second playoff appearance under Jim Harbaugh. Last week’s 34-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys sealed the deal for them.

In Week 17, they now prepare to face the Houston Texans, who they lost to during the 2024 playoff round. Ahead of this highly anticipated matchup, Justin Herbert came forward to talk about how the playoff loss still haunts him to this day.

“It was one of those things you keep thinking about,” Herbert said according to ESPN. “Nobody felt worse than I did after that game. I think it’s important to move on and realize that’s what happened. It would be crazy to deny the reality of what happened and live in this reality where if you try to block it out, I don’t think it works.”

Last season, Justin Herbert had a great performance during the regular season. The veteran quarterback totaled 3,870 yards and 23 touchdowns with just three interceptions to his name.

However, he fumbled badly during the Wild Card playoff run against the Texans. Herbert completed 14 of 32 passes for a disappointing completion rate of 43.8. He threw four interceptions and had four sacks with only one touchdown for his team.

This season, Justin Herbert has 3,491 passing yards and 25 catches in 15 games. The Chargers currently sit in second place in the AFC West with an 11-4 record and have won four games.

Chargers rookie running back Oronde Gadsden shares his honest thoughts on playing alongside Justin Herbert

The Chargers drafted rookie TE Oronde Gadsden with the 165th overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft. So far this season, he has totaled 609 receiving yards and two receptions.

On Wednesday, Gadsden shared his true feelings about sharing the field with Herbert as the starting quarterback.

“It’s definitely a blessing to be able to step into that situation,” Gadsden said on the “Why Draymond Green Talks Football” radio show. “Justin himself, I mean he’s tough as nails. He won 3-0 with a broken hand. He runs the rock too, runs over guys.

“Like he’s not afraid of anyone. He’s not running away from any pressure. He’s not running away from no smoke from anyone. And he’s going to throw it, he’s going to throw it. Like I said, he can throw it with the best of them, like he’s always been. … He’s ready to get the victory every week. … He’s going to get it done any way it takes.”

The Chargers vs Texans game kicks off at 4:30 PM ET and will be broadcast on NFL Network.