Chargers beat reporter drops a hard Jim Harbaugh truth fans should already know

Jim Harbaugh has changed the culture for the LA Chargers. Once a desolate franchise desperately seeking an identity despite having a franchise quarterback, the Chargers have officially won double-digit games in back-to-back seasons and have a likely second playoff trip to go with it.

It's not like Harbaugh inherited a super team, either. Sure, he had the franchise quarterback, but the Chargers lacked talent in several key areas, and still did on paper after his first offseason with the Bolts. But Harbaugh makes players better, and fans have seen that firsthand in less than two full seasons.

The last week has been indicative of this reality. In just six days, the Chargers beat the two teams that squared off in the Super Bowl 10 months ago. And in the case of the Kansas City Chiefs, the Chargers ended a dynasty by officially eliminating their hated rival from playoff contention for the first time since 2014.

Neither game was pretty, but Harbaugh-led teams find a way. The deck can be stacked against Harbaugh, and he'll still win the hand. The Athletic's Daniel Popper echoed this reality after the game with a message on his Substack that the few remaining pessimistic Chargers fans have to hear.

Chargers fans should never doubt Jim Harbaugh again

It doesn't matter how it looks, a win is a win and they don't pain pictures in the standings.

It doesn't matter if a team is down both its starting tackles, or if its quarterback has a broken left hand, or if the schedule lines up like a murderer's row in December. Where there is a will, there is a way, and with Harbaugh's club, there is always a will.

Even after Monday's win over the Philadelphia Eagles, there were doubts about the ceiling of this team. After Sunday afternoon, every Chargers fan should have nothing but confidence in Harbaugh and his ability to coach a true Super Bowl contender.

Does this mean the Chargers are guaranteed to take a trip to the Super Bowl this season? Not at all. But the AFC is wide open, and while the Chargers have holes and hurdles to overcome, so does every single other team in the AFC playoff picture.

And no other AFC playoff contender has Jim Harbaugh as their head coach. Whether it needs to be an offensive onslaught like it was against the Las Vegas Raiders or a defensive gem like it was the last two games, the Chargers wild mold to the conditions in front of them to compete in ball games.

There is absolutely no reason this team should be 10-4. The Chargers have every excuse in the book to be worse than they are, and quite frankly, they are all valid. There aren't many teams in the NFL, if any, that could overcome the adversity the Chargers have faced to post a 10-win (and counting) season.

But the Chargers did because of the culture-setter they have as head coach. Next time we all do our season-long predictions, we have to factor in the 2-3 win bump that having Harbaugh provides.