Following the three Christmas Day games on Thursday, the NFL slate featured two games on Saturday, including a matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans. The Chargers, however, could not get out of their own way.

Now, an NFL analyst for The Athletic has approached the loss from another angle related to Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers.

NFL Analyst Criticizes Chargers for Costly Mistakes Impacting Philip Rivers and Colts’ Playoff Hopes

Heading into Week 17, the Chargers had already secured a playoff spot, but they still had a chance to win their division and earn the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

Against the Texans, however, quarterback Justin Herbert was sacked five times, threw an interception, and kicker Cameron Dicker endured what was arguably the worst game of his career. With the Texans’ win, the Colts and Rivers were eliminated from playoff contention.

Before the game was even decided, The Athletic’s Jim Ayello shared his thoughts on X:

“Chargers finding stupid ways to lose and hurting Philip Rivers. Man, that sounds familiar.”

Chargers finding stupid ways to lose and hurting Philip Rivers.

Man, that sounds familiar. https://t.co/ZYraMz7PoX

— Jim Ayello (@jimayello) December 27, 2025

Rivers, who returned to play for the Colts after five years in retirement and previously suited up for them in 2020, spent the majority of his career with the Chargers from 2004 to 2019. During that stretch, the Chargers never advanced to the Super Bowl, and Rivers compiled a 5‑7 record in the playoffs.

Ayello’s post came after quoting a message from James Boyd, a colleague at The Athletic, who wrote:

“The most accurate kicker in the HISTORY OF THE NFL just missed a 32-yarder. Cameron Dicker was a perfect 37-of-37 on FGs between 30-39 yards in his career before that miss! Unbelievable. The #Chargers are not helping themselves (or the #Colts). Philip Rivers must be losing it.”

At the time of Boyd’s post, Dicker had already missed the field goal. He later also missed a point-after attempt that would have cut the deficit to 20-17. Instead, the final score was 20-16. Had both kicks been converted, the game would have been tied at 20-20.

That said, the Chargers’ offense has been inconsistent throughout the season. The unit holds a 71.7 grade in PFSN’s Offense Impact metric.

Compounding matters, defensive back Tarheeb Still committed a penalty on the Texans’ final drive that resulted in a crucial first down.

According to PFSN’s Playoff Predictor, the Texans now sit as the No. 6 seed, while the Chargers occupy the No. 7 spot. If the season ended today, the Texans would face the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Chargers would draw the New England Patriots.

With the Chargers’ loss, the so-called “Rivers experience” may have finally come to a complete end.