Subscribe
Follow Us
Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh is a strange bird. He's not a nervous bird like chickens can be. He is known for strange things, though, and being a little bit eccentric. While his brother, John Harbaugh, seems a bit more grounded — and he does have a Super Bowl advantage over Jim — the younger Harbaugh is coming off a College Football Playoff Championship win with the Michigan Wolverines.
Jim skipped town on Michigan and ended up with the Chargers, and so far so good. He's been a godsend for quarterback Justin Herbert — who has thrown 13 touchdowns compared to just one interception this season — and not only are the Chargers 7-3, but they're on a four-game winning streak. The Chargers have beaten the New Orleans Saints, Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, and Cincinnati Bengals since late October. They're on one heck of a streak, and if it wasn't for the fact that the Kansas City Chiefs are 9-1 and until Week 11, seemed unbeatable, they would be contenders for the AFC West Crown.
It's worth noting that could still happen if the Chargers keep winning and the Chiefs go on a losing streak. Right now, though, the Chargers are a real solid bet to make the AFC playoffs via the Wild Card. As it stands, they're the fifth seed, but John Harbaugh's Baltimore Ravens are right behind them with a 7-4 record.
Frankly, that's what makes the upcoming Week 12 matchup between the Chargers and Ravens so big. Not only is seeding on the line, but this game could very well be a preview of a potential AFC playoff matchup.
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are smarting coming of a close loss to the 8-2 and AFC North Division-leading Pittsburgh Steelers. The Chargers, in the meantime, are riding high on that winning streak thanks to a 34-27 win over Joe Burrow and the Bengals. That was a big win for the Chargers and based on how they've looked this season, there is reason to believe that this Harbaugh and Herbert-led team can make a run.
True to form, though, Harbaugh wants to make sure his team isn't reading its own press clippings.
“When people are giving you accolades and compliments and telling you you've arrived, kick them in the shins,” Harbaugh said in a recent news conference. “You kick them right in the shins, that's what you do. … They're trying to make you soft. Kick them in the shins.”
Jim Harbaugh knows pride can be the Chargers' downfall
That's a Harbaugh-ism if there ever was one, but the long-time head coach does have an important point to make to his team. Remember, this is a squad that is coming off a 5-12 season in which former head coach Brandon Staley was fired after Week 15. This is a historic franchise with plenty of winning history, but they obviously missed the playoffs last season, and in 2022, they were bounced out of the Wild Card round by the upstart Jacksonville Jaguars on a last-second field goal. It was a heartbreaking 31-30 loss that Staley ultimately never recovered from.
Before that, the Chargers had missed the postseason for three campaigns in a row, and if you take a bird's eye view since 2010, they have only made the playoffs in three of the 15 possible seasons.
The Chargers are getting their flowers, but Harbaugh can see the forest through the trees and he knows that nothing is a given in the NFL. He also knows, more than most, how tough of an opponent his brother's Ravens can be. They're coming off a loss, but that arguably makes them more dangerous because they'll be looking for a big bounceback.
Keep in mind, Jackson threw for only 207 yards and a touchdown with an interception against the Steelers and he was held to just 46 yards on four carries. He's thrown for 2,876 yards and 25 touchdowns this season which is second in the NFL behind only Burrow. He's a two-time NFL MVP and coming off an MVP season in 2023, mind you. Jackson can single-handedly beat a team, and we haven't even mentioned Derrick Henry, who leads the NFL in rushing with 197 carries for 1,185 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns.
This is a Ravens' offense that leads the league in yards per game with 430.1 and they're second behind the Detroit Lions in points per game with 30.4. The Chargers average 22 points per game, so Harbaugh is right. They have no room to say that they've “arrived” and they can't afford to be “soft” against this Ravens team.
The older Harbaugh brother would love nothing more than to kick his little brother in the teeth now that he's back in the NFL. Jim knows this Ravens team can be dangerous, so he's wise to make sure that his Chargers are emotionally prepared to take on this challenge.
