Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers Record: 3 Reasons Los Angeles Will Make the AFC Playoffs

Jim Harbaugh is at it again as an NFL head coach. With a 3-2 start in his first season leading the Los Angeles Chargers, he is now 47-21-1 overall. That .688 winning percentage over four-plus seasons with the 49ers and Chargers is the best among active coaches in the league.

Fresh off a national championship at Michigan last season, Harbaugh has a college football winning percentage of .720 with a 118-46 record. No matter how you look at his record, all he does is win.

He also wins a certain way: mentally and physically tough teams that pride themselves on running the ball well and playing strong defense. At the same time, as a longtime NFL starter, he also has a lot of influence in getting the most out of the most important position.

Here are the top three reasons why he, like many of his teams, will be coaching the Chargers in 2024.

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Run the ball, stop running

These are the signature strengths of Harbaugh’s pro and collegiate teams with his “old school meets new school” philosophy. The Chargers rank 10th in rushing offense this season, averaging 127.8 yards per game. Last year, before Harbaugh, they were 24th with 96.6 yards per game.

Chargers also operate at higher frequencies. By Week 7, they were third in the NFL in calling rush plays 52.4 percent of the time under Harbaugh’s trusted offensive coordinator Greg Roman. This is a dramatic shift since last season the rate was 39 percent, which ranked the Chargers 27th in the league.

The Chargers had the No. 17 ranked defense last season. allowing an average of 113.2 yards per game. This year, under Jesse Minter, they climbed to sixth place, allowing an average of just 97.2 yards per game. Michigan was sixth in the country in run defense (90.1 yards) en route to a national championship in 2023-24.

Protect the ball, win the ball

Last season at Michigan, Harbaugh led the Wolverines to the highest positive turnover margin per game in the FBS at plus 1.3. This year, the Chargers are +7 after four games, which equates to plus 1.4 per game.

Last season, under Brandon Staley, the Chargers even had a turnover margin of zero, with 18 tackles and 18 takeaways. This season they have nine turnovers with a pace of 31. They have only two offensive turnovers with a pace of less than 7.

Launch games well, close them better

So far, the Chargers have victories over the Raiders, Panthers and Broncos. They came out of the gate quickly on every play with JK Dobbins running the game and Justin providing the needed extra passes down the field. They easily managed to shut down all three opponents, taking advantage of their worn-out defense to secure comfortable wins.

The Chargers have been known for a while for their intensity under previous coaches that included Staley, Anthony Lynn, Mike McCoy and Norv Turner. The term refers to the way a team struggles to play even matches against stronger teams and win against poor teams. It could also relate to the overall picture of their seasons, from talented promise to late disappointment.

Harbaugh, along with mental and physical improvements, also instills a relentlessness. Now the team is in such a mood that, having gained an advantage in the game, it will not give it up.

These three reasons are very important to the Chargers’ expected rapid improvement given Harbaugh’s track record. They also secure at least a playoff spot in the AFC behind the Chiefs.