It took one season under Jim Harbaugh for the Chargers to concoct a formidable identity.
It took one playoff game for them to seemingly lose it.
Los Angeles, which entered Wild Card Weekend rightfully known for its suffocating defense, hard-nosed rushing attack and penchant for protecting the ball, exhibited none of those traits in Saturday's 32-12 loss to the Houston Texans -- a defeat marred most surprisingly by quarterback Justin Herbert's four interceptions.
"I let the team down," Herbert said postgame. "You can't turn over the ball like that and expect to win.
"Put the team into a tough position there with four turnovers like that. The defense hung tough, they got some turnovers, they gave us opportunities, but I just have to be better."
While Herbert did not wow with his numbers this season as much as years past due to the Chargers' more conservative offensive approach, he was undeniably superb in leading Los Angeles back to the playoffs following the previous campaign's 5-12 debacle.
He finished the regular season with 3,870 passing yards, 23 touchdowns and three interceptions, leading to a league-best 0.6 INT percentage.
He exceeded his season-long interception total with four picks against the Texans; counting just his final four possessions, he would've tied it.
It was a remarkable meltdown that began right as the Chargers seemed primed to put Houston in a stranglehold.
Following a pick that set his offense up on the Texans' 40-yard line, already up, 6-0, Herbert took an errant deep shot to wide receiver Quentin Johnston on the very next next snap, which gave the ball back to cornerback Kamari Lassiter.
As the game went on, with Houston haven shaken its stupor and found a lead, Herbert failed to mount a comeback.
His next two picks, a mere four offensive plays apart, were both tipped -- one thrown high to WR Ladd McConkey, which was collected and returned for a score by safety Eric Murray, and another thrown perfectly to tight end Will Dissly that instead found the hands of CB Derek Stingley Jr.
His final INT came already down 20, another deep shot and another stat on Stingley's sheet.
"No one feels worse than I do," Herbert added about his performance, per the team's website.
But despite his woes, there's plenty of blame to go around.
Herbert's offensive line allowed pressure on 52.8% of his dropbacks. And the Chargers, who attempted the fifth-fewest passes en route to the postseason, abandoned their winning formula without cause. Instead of turning to J.K. Dobbins for any extended length of time, a running back whose presence equated to 45 more rushing yards per game this season when he was active (121.8 versus 74.8), L.A. gave him just nine carries.
Meanwhile, the league's top scoring defense gave up extended drives for points, including a 99-yarder and 45-yarder that both concluded in the final minute of the second quarter to see a 6-0 lead evaporate to a four-point halftime deficit.
It was far from Harbaugh football.
Los Angeles, authors of another playoff disaster, instead reverted to an identity long-suffering fans had hoped the team might finally duck: They were the same old Chargers.
While that's ultimately how their 2024 season ends, it was still only Year 1 of the Harbaugh experience. With such a turnaround in such a short time, bettering themselves by six wins to reach the playoffs as a No. 5 seed, the Chargers still possess something to build on.
Harbaugh, ever the optimist, fully believes they will.
"Favorite ball team I've ever been on," he said. "One thing I can promise you is the sun will come up tomorrow and we'll be attacking it with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind."