Jim Harbaugh Humbly Deflects Credit After Leading Chargers Back To Postseason

Harbaugh had a humble response after leading another turnaround.

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh. / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Who executes a turnaround better than Jim Harbaugh? Nobody.

Harbaugh has done it again. In his first season as head coach of Los Angeles Chargers, Harbaugh has officially brought the Chargers back to the postseason with a dominant 40-7 win over the New England Patriots on Saturday. He has taken a team that finished last in the AFC West a season ago with a 5-12 record and a top-five draft pick to a 10-6 squad that is playoff bound.

Harbaugh has become known for engineering turnarounds. In his last NFL head coaching gig with the San Francisco 49ers, Harbaugh turned the 49ers from a 6-10 team to a 13-3 division winner in his first year with the team.

With the Chargers now clinching a spot in the postseason in his first year with Los Angeles, Harbaugh becomes the first coach to take two separate teams with losing records to the postseason in his first year with the team.

With a win today, Jim Harbaugh will be the first coach in the Super Bowl era to take over 2 teams that had losing records the year before he arrived and take them to the playoffs in his 1st season (also did it with #49ers in 2011)

— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) December 28, 2024

Even beyond the NFL level, Harbaugh has transformed three separate college programs—USD, Stanford, and Michigan—into winners.

Despite all of his success turning around every team he coaches, Harbaugh deflected credit for the Chargers’ return to the postseason.

"This had very little to do with me," Harbaugh said after the Chargers clinched. "If it goes right, it's our players. They've been doing a great job ... I've been drinking the kool-aid here from day one."

Harbaugh specifically credited Derwin James, Justin Herbert and several others for their leadership on the team.

"There's no coach that could have it better than to be coaching these players. Maybe, the only one is future us could have it better than us." Harbaugh said.

maybe the only one who has it better than us is future us. pic.twitter.com/TGiBwhGVxT

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

The Chargers do have a talented core of players, and while they did revamp the roster during free agency and the draft, much of the team was part of the 2023 squad that went 5-12 a year ago. It's clear that Harbaugh and his staff's culture and coaching significantly helped the Chargers already win five more games this season.

Harbaugh might not have taken credit, but his quarterback, Justin Herbert, praised him for what he's done for the team after the win.

we 🫶 jim pic.twitter.com/4xuEKWkivT

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

"He's been everything," Herbert said of Harbaugh. "Those guys in that locker room respect him so much. They just wanna make right by him and make him proud ... it's the way that everyone fights for him, wants to play for him, and respects him."

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