Harbaugh is the architect who drove the Chargers from national embarrassment to playoff team in 10 months, a columnist for The Athletic writes.
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.
Harbaugh was yelling one name while scanning the assembled Chargers coaches, players and staff.
“Joe Hortiz?!”
“Joe Hortiz?!”
“Joe Hortiz?!”
Harbaugh found his general manager near the exit. He beelined over and put a hand on Hortiz’s shoulder.
“Give me a hug!” Harbaugh said.
The two architects of this miraculous turnaround embraced. A celebration was certainly in order. The Chargers had just clinched a postseason spot with a 40-7 victory over the New England Patriots on Saturday at Gillette Stadium. And this hug represented the engine — two people, one mission — that drove the Chargers from national embarrassment to playoff team in 10 months.
“He takes no deep, long bows, but he should,” Harbaugh said of Hortiz. “He should take a very deep, long bow for just how good he is and what he’s been able to do.”
“He’s that guy,” safety Derwin James Jr. said of Harbaugh. “I’m just trying to continue to give everything I got for him because, man, there’s nobody like him.”
The win over the Patriots was a full-circle moment.
One year and 13 days ago, owner Dean Spanos promised an organizational “reimagining.” The Chargers had just fired their head coach and general manager after a 5-12 season.
Spanos hired Harbaugh. He hired Hortiz. A monumental cultural shift occurred, day by day, roster move by roster move, workout by workout, practice by practice, game by game — until this decisive afternoon of dominance against a franchise that was once the king of the NFL.
The Chargers were supposed to beat the lowly Patriots. But therein lies what has truly changed with this team.
To understand how far the Chargers have come, you only need to go back to Dec. 26, 2021. The Chargers were 8-6 and firmly in playoff contention. They went on the road to face a 3-11 Houston Texans team, and they did not show up. The Chargers lost, 41-29. They were outplayed by an inferior opponent. They were not prepared. The Christmas hangover was real. And the Chargers went on to miss the playoffs.
Three years later, the Chargers were in a very similar position. They went on the road at 9-6 with the playoffs in sight. They faced a bad team with three wins. They were days removed from Christmas.
No hangover this time.
This time, the Chargers were prepared.
“It just feels like the tides are turning,” linebacker Daiyan Henley said.
GO DEEPER
Chargers beat Pats 40-7 to make playoffs in Harbaugh’s first year: Takeaways
They played their most complete game of the season.
“We had a huge opportunity,” quarterback Justin Herbert said, “and we went out and took it.”
That is why you hire Jim Harbaugh. That is why you swing for the fences and reimagine your organization.
“Our preparation has been 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 there and win. And also not taking anyone lightly. Just because it’s a game on the schedule that people think we should win, we go into every game like this is the hardest 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 are in the playoffs because they have handled business.
It is only fitting that the clinching victory came in a similar scenario and in the most emphatic fashion yet.
This tale of two Christmas weekends shows the difference between good coaching and poor coaching.
“Maybe some people expected it, but it’s not easy to win any NFL game,” Harbaugh said. “The guys, when they got to have it, they go out and play like they did, it’s just a tremendous testament to who they are as football players and men.”
It’s a testament to Harbaugh.
It’s a testament to Hortiz.
Because they have sewn this playoff quilt together.
The returning Chargers players were ready for everything Harbaugh demands — starting with Herbert, James, Rashawn Slater, Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa. These cornerstones were desperate to win. They knew they had enough talent for a competitive nucleus. They just needed a steward to show them the way. Harbaugh arrived, and he brought with him a staff of teachers, including defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.
“They just showed us how to lead,” James said.
Hortiz, with limited resources, provided connective tissue. He, along with assistant general manager Chad Alexander and the rest of the front office, identified talent. Some of those were overlooked players on the free-agent and trade markets, like Kristian Fulton, Poona Ford, Elijah Molden and J.K. Dobbins. Some of those players were rookies in the draft, like Joe Alt, Ladd McConkey, Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still.
Hortiz put together a roster full of players with something to prove, from holdovers to newcomers. And Harbaugh was the perfect coach to lead them.
“Every individual has a purpose,” Fulton said. “Coach Harbaugh brought the winning mentality.”
Each player played a note in Saturday’s symphony.
Herbert completed 26 of 38 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns. Harbaugh called it a “near-flawless” performance. Herbert is peaking at the right time and has played his two best games in the past two weeks.
Dobbins, back after missing four games with a knee injury, ignited the Chargers’ run game with 76 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.
“That’s what I came here to do: To help this organization and this team get to the playoffs,” Dobbins said. “That’s one step in where we’re trying to go.”
McConkey caught eight passes for 94 yards. The Chargers traded up three spots with the Patriots in April to draft 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 right where I’m supposed to be,” McConkey said.
James sacked Patriots quarterback Drake Maye twice. He is up to 5 1/2 sacks on the season, a career high. Minter has moved James to primarily a nickel role, aligning him closer to the line of scrimmage. James has been unlocked as a result.
“I’m starting to hit my stride,” James said.
Mack had one sack and added a pressure on third down that led to a punt.
The Chargers created consistent pressure up front on defense. They were sticky in coverage on the back end. The Patriots did not convert a third down until the third quarter. They only converted two in the game.
On offense, the Chargers protected Herbert. They won at the line of scrimmage in the run game. Harbaugh called it “the best offensive line play we’ve had the entire season.”
The Chargers were far superior in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Just how Harbaugh likes it.
“We’re about it,” Slater, the left tackle, said. “It’s put us in this position to go compete for a championship.”
That is what awaits the Chargers. A shot at a Lombardi, which is all they ever wanted.
“Back in the dance,” Fox said.
The Chargers could move up to the No. 5 seed in the AFC with a win next week at the Las Vegas Raiders. They would also need a Pittsburgh Steelers loss against the Cincinnati Bengals to do so. That would likely be the difference between playing at the Baltimore Ravens or at the Texans in the wild-card round.
“Far from finished, far from satisfied, but, man, 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 keep getting better and see how far we can take this thing.”
Harbaugh said after that game he’s been “drinking the Kool-Aid here from Day 1.” It is a message he has repeated often this season: That he has been feeding off players like Herbert, James, Mack, Slater and Bosa more than they have been feeding off him.
But, in truth, Harbaugh is the Kool-Aid Man.
Hortiz provided the pieces, and Harbaugh turned those pieces into a team.
One game left.
The Chargers will not be looking past it. That is for sure.
“Eleven sounds better than 10,” Harbaugh said.
(Top photo of Quentin Johnston and Jim Harbaugh: Winslow Townson / Getty Images)
