Jim Harbaugh has shockingly kept Chargers in Super Bowl mix

The Los Angeles Chargers have endured their share of injuries this season. But head coach Jim Harbaugh hasn’t stopped pushing the right buttons. All of this highlights the incredibly masterful job Harbaugh has done with the Chargers in the 2025 season, keeping them in the Super Bowl mix.

Overcoming the adversity that would have sunk most teams, the Chargers control their own destiny to win the AFC West. If they beat the Texans in Week 17, they will play the Broncos for the division title in Week 18.

And Harbaugh deserves a ton of credit for keeping an injury-plagued ship afloat.

The Chargers’ 2025 season is one of HC Jim Harbaugh’s finest jobs

Things didn’t look so great early on. After winning their first three games, the Chargers lost three of their next four. They were upset by the Giants and Commanders in back-to-back weeks. And if you look at where those teams are right now, it’s shocking to think they beat the Chargers.

After bouncing back with a tough 29-27 win over the Dolphins, the Chargers flopped in a 38-24 decision against the Colts. A three-game winning streak put them at 7-3, but the Jaguars absolutely embarrassed them in a 35-6 decision.

Since then, things have gone smoothly for the Chargers. They beat the Raiders, Eagles, Chiefs, and Cowboys to climb to their current 11-4 perch. Hat’s off to Harbaugh.

They’ve done it despite a makeshift offensive line that somehow has been able to hold up just enough. Star tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt have been gone. Included in the mix, the Chargers started a guard, Jamaree Salyer, at left tackle. They signed a player in the middle of the season and used him at right tackle.

Oh, and don’t forget, quarterback Justin Herbert has played with a protective sleeve over his surgically repaired left hand.

But Harbaugh keeps plugging, moving, and putting the pieces together.

Throughout the course, the Chargers have used at least 20 different line combinations this season. That takes a lot of guys being ready at a moment’s notice, according to Sports Illustrated.

“I feel like they prepared and practiced and performed extremely well this past week,” offensive coordinator Greg Roman said of the starters from Sunday. “Now it’s time to do it again.”

Center Bradley Bozeman said it’s a matter of staying sharp.

“No matter what happens, no matter who is saying what, no matter what the situation is, you stay true to yourself,” Bozeman said. “You work. You do what you got to do. Guys play through injury. Guys play beat up and battered. No one ever sees that. The guys in here, though, they see it. They see everything, [and] they know the adversity. So just continue to work, continue to do our thing, and eventually you break through.”

Jim Harbaugh’s coaching prowess hasn’t gone unnoticed

Linebacker Daiyan Henley said the team knows Harbaugh and the coaches are making a difference, according to Sports Illustrated.

“[Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter] gave us a huge speech about how this team was built to beat the Chiefs—and specifically because they’ve had a decade of running this division,” Henley said. “And [the coaches] came together, and they talked about how we can beat them. It’s a testament to the coaching staff and how we prepare for these types of battles.”

Harbaugh has that extra something that makes a difference, according to Sports Illustrated.

“He just has that aura, just that winning culture, he has that winning feel to him,” Keenan Allen said. “I think everybody just believes in it.”

The history proves it for Jim Harbaugh

You don’t have to stare at it for very long. In Harbaugh’s first season as an NFL head coach, the 49ers went 13-3. They followed up with records of 11-4-1, 12-4, and 8-8. Along the way, they went 5-3 in the playoffs and reached the Super Bowl.

After a 10-year hiatus from the league, Harbaugh’s first Chargers’ teams went 11-6 and lost in the playoffs. And they can clinch a playoff berth if the Colts lose to the 49ers or tie them. Harbaugh is 66-29 overall and 5-4 in the playoffs.

And if they get into the postseason mix, it’s probably not a good idea to count Harbaugh out of the Super Bowl mix. That’s especially true if the Chargers finish out with two more wins.

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