The Los Angeles Chargers were confident that their growing partnership with Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert could finally help the franchise get rid of its postseason frustrations. Instead, the season began with the Chargers surrendering and falling 26-14 to the Arizona Cardinals. And now the questions regarding Harbaugh are getting louder, and this time they are coming from someone who knows the franchise from the inside and out.
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“When the world finds out about you, Jim Harbaugh, that you’re just the NFL version of James Franklin, then people will start to realize that, holy [ _ ] this guy’s a fraud. Jim Harbaugh can win a lot of games every year. A Jim Harbaugh win you 10 games. Jim Harbaugh win you 11 games. That’ll buy him another year on the contract,” said Breiden Fehoko on The Fehoko Show.
“Hey, let’s extend Jim Harbaugh because it could be totally worse. But when the world finds out that Jim Harbaugh couldn’t win a national championship without sign stealing, what is your legacy, Jim Harbaugh?”
Chargers’ defeat has now triggered a sharp critique from former Chargers defensive lineman Breidan Fehoko, who questioned whether Harbaugh is actually delivering a long-term transformation that Los Angeles hired him for. Fehoko argued that the veteran coach can consistently lead to winning without necessarily solving the Chargers’ biggest postseason problems.
The Chargers won 11 games in each of their first two seasons, but were eliminated in the Wild Card Round both times. In 2024, Los Angeles lost 32-12 to the Houston Texans, while the 2025 season ended with a 16-3 defeat to the New England Patriots. This playoff record creates a strong base for Fehoko’s point.
Harbaugh has a history of winning, carrying a 71-36-1 NFL head-coaching record and taking the San Francisco 49ers to three consecutive NFC Championship Games, including Super Bowl XLVII. His first season appeared to validate the franchise’s decision.
Harbaugh had inherited a team that had gone 5-12 in 2023 and immediately guided it to an 11-6 record and a playoff. The Chargers also combined that turnaround with a strong defensive identity while Herbert posted a 101.7 passer rating in 2024.
However, the postseason results have been the unresolved part. Justin Herbert threw for 3,870 passing yards and 23 TDs against only three INTs during the 2024 season, but the Chargers were devastated by the Houston Texans in the playoffs.
The Chargers’ offense struggled in their AFC Wild Card loss to the New England Patriots, managing only a field goal in a 16-3 defeat. Los Angeles had finished the 2025 regular season at 11-6, but its playoff run ended immediately in New England.
Injuries were also a significant factor in the Chargers’ offensive-line issues. Rashawn Slater missed the entire season after tearing his patellar tendon in training camp, while Joe Alt underwent season-ending surgery for a high right ankle injury in November. Mekhi Becton also battled injuries and missed time during the season, though his injury was not season-ending.
The team had a chance but couldn’t convert it into points. They even forced a fumble in the second half but came empty-handed. Their final possession ended with Herbert being forced on fourth down.
The Chargers’ postseason frustrations continued in New England, where Justin Herbert fell to 0-3 in his playoff career. The Patriots sacked him six times and hit him 11 times in a 16-3 AFC Wild Card loss, holding Los Angeles to 207 total yards and no touchdowns. The Chargers rushed for 87 yards on 22 attempts, 4.0 yards per carry, but Herbert led the team with 57 rushing yards, underscoring how little consistent production Los Angeles generated elsewhere.
That just allowed the Patriots to focus on disrupting the passing game. Harbaugh has fixed the Chargers’ regular-season consistency, but he hasn’t fixed their postseason identity.
And the latest loss only intensifies those concerns. The QB completed 17 of 27 passes for 209 yards, one TD, and one INT while being sacked three times. The team struggled to dominate on opportunities as Arizona pulled away in the second-half of the game.
For now, the Chargers have made 11 winning seasons but have yet to win a playoff game under him. After the Cardinals exposed the Chargers’ weaknesses in Week 1, Fehoko’s brutal statement has added pressure to the coach, whose legacy in Los Angeles may depend on what happens when the regular season ends.