FOXBORO, Mass. — Jim Harbaugh burst into the locker room like the Kool-Aid Man. There was an open entrance, so he did not have to break down a wall. But considering the enthusiasm the Los Angeles Chargers coach was exuding, he probably could have shouldered through some drywall if necessary.

Justin Herbert threw three touchdown passes and the Los Angeles Chargers clinched their second playoff appearance in three seasons with a 40-7 victory over the New England Patriots.

The Chargers' playoff-clinching 40-7 win over the Patriots was perhaps the biggest example of just how much the team has changed in a year under coach Jim Harbaugh.