After a tough ouster from the NFL playoffs, the finger-pointing about where the Los Angeles Chargers went wrong is at its height. Some say Justin Herbert can’t win in the playoffs. Others blame the lack of pass catchers for Herbert to throw to. Injuries to the defense are certainly getting attention.
ESPN’s Ben Solak posited his theory that offensive coordinator Greg Roman bears the most weight for the team’s 12-32 loss to the Houston Texans.
Greg Roman’s Blame In The Los Angeles Chargers Loss

“The wild-card loss to the Texans was a bad day for everyone on the Chargers’ offense not named Ladd McConkey, and lots of personnel help is needed this offseason,” Solak writes. “But the lack of schematic relief from Roman’s offense was glaring.”
“There continued to be no easy targets in the passing game, as Herbert had near season highs in both pressure rate — he was pressured on exactly half of his 36 dropbacks — and time to throw (average of 3.1 seconds). The Chargers’ offensive line was underwater for most of the game, and relief never came from the playcalling.”
Of course, a 12-point performance by an offense in the playoffs has to be interrogated, but the Chargers’ problems on offense didn’t start in the playoffs. Much of their plan on offense put a lion’s share on Herbert to perform. And when they played against bad teams (They played the second-easiest schedule) that worked, but the lack of weapons and no support from the running game caught up to them against better competition.

Solak also points out the biggest difference between this team and other Roman-led offenses. “Without a dual-threat quarterback — as he had in Baltimore with Lamar Jackson (2017-22) and San Francisco with Colin Kaepernick (2011-14) — Roman’s legacy as a clever run game schemer starts to fade.”
The Chargers finished the year ranking 27th in rushing success rate and 21st in rushing DVOA.
Mr. Solak considers it unlikely that the Chargers would move on from Roman after one year and asks, “Can he do a better job coaching around the players he has and their deficiencies? And if not, will Jim Harbaugh end up looking for a more modern offensive coordinator who actually puts stress on NFL defenses?”
These questions beg more questions, such as; Will they prioritize offensive weapons or the offensive line again in the draft and free agency? Also, who else meets Harbaugh’s requirements? Harbaugh has a specific philosophy and it seems unlikely that he would ever hire someone who doesn’t meet him eye to eye.