Jim Harbaugh cements turnaround as Chargers secure playoff spot: ‘He’s that guy’

FOXBORO, Mass. — Jim Harbaugh stormed into the locker room like the Kool-Aid Man. Since there was an open entrance, he didn’t have to tear down a wall. But given the enthusiasm the Los Angeles Chargers coach exuded, he probably could have pushed himself through drywall if necessary.

Harbaugh called out a name as he surveyed the assembled Chargers coaches, players and staff.

“Joe Hortiz?!”

“Joe Hortiz?!”

“Joe Hortiz?!”

Harbaugh found his manager near the exit. He came straight over and put a hand on Hortiz’s shoulder.

“Hug me!” Harbaugh said.

Jim and Joe 💙 pic.twitter.com/pNWV0rhxJn

— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) December 28, 2024

The two architects of this miraculous turnaround hugged each other. A celebration was definitely in order. The Chargers had just secured a spot in the postseason with a 40-7 victory over the New England Patriots on Saturday at Gillette Stadium. And that embrace was the engine — two people, one mission — that propelled the Chargers from national embarrassment to playoff contention in 10 months.

“He doesn’t do deep, long bows, but he should,” Harbaugh said of Hortiz. “He should bow very low for how good he is and what he has accomplished.”

“He’s that guy,” safety Derwin James Jr. said of Harbaugh. “I just try to keep giving it my all for him because, man, there’s nobody like him.”

The win over the Patriots was a turning point.

A year and 13 days ago, owner Dean Spanos promised an organizational “redesign.” The Chargers had just fired their head coach and general manager after a 5-12 season.

Spanos hired Harbaugh. He hired Hortiz. Day after day, roster change after roster change, practice after practice, practice after practice, game after game, a monumental cultural shift occurred – until that crucial afternoon of dominance against a franchise that was once the king of the NFL.

The Chargers should beat the weak Patriots. But therein lies what has really changed with this team.

To understand how far the Chargers have come, all you have to do is look back as far as December 26, 2021. The Chargers were firmly in playoff contention at 8-6. They headed out to face a 3-11 Houston Texans team and they didn’t show up. The Chargers lost 41-29. They were outplayed by an inferior opponent. They weren’t prepared. The Christmas hangover was real. And the Chargers missed the playoffs.

Three years later, the Chargers found themselves in a very similar situation. They went 9-6 on the road and the playoffs were in sight. They faced a bad team with three wins all season. It was days before Christmas.

No hangover this time.

This time the Chargers were prepared.

“It just feels like the tide is turning,” linebacker Daiyan Henley said.

They played their most complete game of the season.

“We had a huge opportunity,” quarterback Justin Herbert said, “and we took advantage of it.”

That’s why you hire Jim Harbaugh. Therefore, reach for the fences and rethink your organization.

“Our preparation was at a really high level at all times,” defensive lineman Morgan Fox said. “The standard is that (when) we play games we should win, we go out and win. And don’t take anyone lightly either. Just because it’s a game on the schedule that people think we should win, we go into every game thinking that this is the toughest team we’re going to play and we play like that.”

The Chargers have won these games all season – the Carolina Panthers in Week 2, the New Orleans Saints in Week 8, the Cleveland Browns in Week 9, the Tennessee Titans in Week 10.

They’re in the playoffs because of business.

It is only fitting that the decisive victory came in a similar scenario and in the most emphatic way yet.

This tale of two Christmas weekends shows the difference between good and bad coaching.

“Maybe some people expected it, but it’s not easy to win an NFL game,” Harbaugh said. “When the boys get it, they go out and play like they did. It’s just a great testament to who they are as football players and men.”

It’s a testament to Harbaugh.

It’s a will for Hortiz.

Because they sowed this playoff quilt together.

The returning Chargers players were prepared for whatever Harbaugh asked, starting with Herbert, James, Rashawn Slater, Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa. These cornerstones really wanted to win. They knew they had enough talent to form a competitive core. They just needed a steward to show them the way. Harbaugh arrived and brought with him a staff, including defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.

“They just showed us how to lead,” James said.

we 🫶 Jim pic.twitter.com/4xuEKWkivT

— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) December 28, 2024

Hortiz provided connective tissue with limited resources. He identified talent along with assistant general manager Chad Alexander and the rest of the front office. Some of these were players overlooked on the free agent and trade markets, such as Kristian Fulton, Poona Ford, Elijah Molden and JK Dobbins. Some of these players were newcomers to the draft, such as Joe Alt, Ladd McConkey, Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still.

Hortiz has assembled a roster full of players with something to prove, from holdovers to rookies. And Harbaugh was the perfect coach to lead them.

“Every individual has a goal,” Fulton said. “Coach Harbaugh brought a winning mentality.”

Each player played one note in Saturday’s symphony.

Herbert completed 26 of 28 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns. Harbaugh called it a “nearly flawless” performance. Herbert is peaking at the right time and has played his two best games in the last two weeks.

Dobbins, returning after missing four games with a knee injury, sparked the Chargers’ run game with 76 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.

“That’s why I came here: to help this organization and this team get to the playoffs,” Dobbins said. “This is a step on the path we want to achieve.”

McConkey caught eight passes for 94 yards. The Chargers traded three spots with the Patriots in April to take McConkey in the second round. On Saturday, McConkey passed Keenan Allen for the most receptions and receiving yards by a rookie in franchise history.

“I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be,” McConkey said.

HERBO 40 YARDS FOR LADDING

📺 | @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/b0UUH3SSNe

— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) December 28, 2024

James sacked Patriots quarterback Drake Maye twice. He’s up to 5 1/2 sacks this season, a new career high. Minter primarily moved James into a nickel role and moved him closer to the line of scrimmage. This unlocked James.

“I’m starting to get going,” James said.

Mack had a sack and added pressure on third down, leading to a punt.

The Chargers applied constant pressure up front on defense. They were sticky on the back end. The Patriots didn’t convert on a third down until the third quarter. They only converted two in the game.

On offense, the Chargers protected Herbert. They won the running game at the line of scrimmage. Harbaugh called it “the best offensive line game we’ve had all season.”

The Chargers were clearly superior in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Just the way Harbaugh likes it.

“We’re in,” said Slater, the left tackle. “It put us in a position to compete for a championship.”

That’s what awaits the Chargers. One shot at a Lombardi, that’s all they ever wanted.

“Back in the dance,” Fox said.

With a win next week at the Las Vegas Raiders, the Chargers could move up to the No. 5 seed in the AFC. To do this they would also need the Pittsburgh Steelers to lose against the Cincinnati Bengals. That would probably be the difference between playing at the Baltimore Ravens or at the Texans in the wild card round.

“We’re far from done and far from satisfied, but we love where we’re at,” Slater said. “The vision is very clear: We’re going to keep going, we’re going to keep building and getting better and seeing how far we can take this thing.”

Harbaugh said after that game that he “drank the Kool-Aid from day one.” It’s a message he’s repeated often this season: that he has benefited more from players like Herbert, James, Mack, Slater and Bosa than they have benefited from him.

But in reality, Harbaugh is the Kool-Aid Man.

Hortiz provided the characters and Harbaugh formed a team from these characters.

One more game left.

The Chargers won’t ignore it. That’s for sure.

“Eleven sounds better than ten,” Harbaugh said.

(Top photo of Quentin Johnston and Jim Harbaugh: Winslow Townson / Getty Images)