Can Jim Harbaugh save the Chargers from their miserable playoff history?

Jim Harbaugh is a winner.

The Los Angeles Chargers have been mostly losers when it comes to the postseason. 

The last time they made the playoffs, two years ago, they blew a 27-0 lead in an embarrassing 31-30 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was the largest blown lead in franchise history. 

But that's just the latest playoff ignominy for the Chargers. It's called "Chargering." Who could forget the Marlon McCree fumble after an interception, opening the door to a 24-21 loss to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the AFC divisional round of the 2006 playoffs?

A year later, the Chargers reached the AFC Championship Game, but Philip Rivers had to play through a painful torn ACL in his right knee. In a gutsy performance, the veteran quarterback threw for 211 yards but was picked off twice. The Patriots won 21-12 and entered the Super Bowl undefeated.

In the 2009 postseason, Chargers All-Pro kicker Nate Kaeding inexplicably missed three field goals in a 17-14 overtime loss to Rex Ryan and the New York Jets.  

The Chargers are one of 12 franchises that have not won a Super Bowl. They have three playoff appearances in the past 14 years and have the worst postseason record (12-19) among the 14 teams in this year's postseason. Justin Herbert's 21,093 career passing yards are the most ever by a quarterback in his first five NFL seasons. He has been the league's Offensive Rookie of the Year and a Pro Bowler, but he has yet to win a postseason game.  

Enter Jim Harbaugh, whose 68.1% winning percentage is No. 2 among active head coaches. And he's 5-3 in the NFL playoffs, including a Super Bowl appearance after the 2012 season. 

Herbert said one comment from his new head coach made him realize quickly that things would definitely be different for the Chargers.

"I think when he talked about remembering the day he was born," Herbert told reporters this week. "He kind of told us the whole story and how he remembered looking out the window. I think it was a cold, snowy day. And I really hope he does remember that. That would be pretty cool."

Harbaugh led the Chargers to an 11-6 record, becoming the eighth coach to make the playoffs in his first season as head coach with two different teams. Harbaugh led the San Francisco 49ers to a 13-3 record in 2011. 

"Football-wise, we're alive. And we want to stay alive," said Harbaugh, when asked about being in the NFL postseason for the first time in over a decade. "Raising my right hand, and just promise to keep at it." 

The Chargers were one of four AFC teams to win at least six road games this season. They face the Houston Texans on the road in the AFC wild-card round. It will be a homecoming of sorts for Harbaugh, who won the 2024 National Championship at NRG Stadium when Michigan defeated Washington 34-13.

Herbert has 10 touchdown passes and no interceptions with a 106.8 passer rating in his past eight starts on the road. And in the last two games against Houston, Herbert has thrown for at least 335 passing yards. 

With top receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams moving on last offseason, Herbert quickly developed a rapport with rookie Ladd McConkey and second-year pro Quentin Johnston. 

"I really think we're seeing the chemistry now," Harbaugh said. "With Quentin Johnston, for example, it's really coming together. Because there's no other quarterback like this, and Quentin never played with anyone like this, or any of the other guys. But it takes some time.

"It took [Johnny] Unitas and [Raymond] Berry years — three, four or five years — to develop the kind of chemistry they had. And I just feel like that's something that pretty much — outside of Josh Palmer — that's a new receiver room. And that speaks volumes for our receivers." 

McConkey finished fourth in the NFL among rookies with 82 catches and 1,149 receiving yards, the most ever by a Chargers rookie. 

Johnston finished with a career high of 55 catches for 711 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Those numbers included a career-high 13 catches for 186 receiving yards in L.A.'s final regular-season game, a 34-20 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. A first-round selection in 2023, Johnston suffered through a disappointing rookie season in which he finished with 38 receptions for 431 yards, including four drops. 

"I think he's just developing as a player," offensive coordinator Greg Roman said about the jump in Johnston's production. "He's always had amazing skills. Now, how do I apply those skills? How do I develop those skills? And that's what he's working through now, and we've seen incremental gains in what he's doing.

"You start to have success. And after that, what happens? You start to get confident in what you're doing. Like, ‘Geez, I can do this. Holy crap, throw me the ball.'" 

Roman may be more concerned about L.A.'s ground game headed into the playoffs. The Chargers have dealt with injuries at running back this season, with leading rusher J.K. Dobbins missing four games due to a sprained knee and Gus Edwards missing the final two games of the regular season with an ankle issue. To bolster the running game, Harbaugh added a familiar player from his college days at Michigan, signing Ohio State product Ezekiel Elliott to the practice squad this week.

Behind Dobbins and Edwards, the Chargers have two promising but inexperienced backs in Jaret Patterson and sixth-round pick Kimani Vidal. So Elliott gives Harbaugh an experienced, sure-handed back to use in goal-line situations should his team's depth be tested in the postseason. 

"I've got some bruises from days competing against Zeke," Harbaugh said about adding the former Buckeyes running back. "It's great to see him."

Signing Elliott may seem like an unusual move, but then again, nothing is really a surprise with Harbaugh. It's all part of his plan to get the Chargers to stop Chargering.  

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

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