{"id":125258,"date":"2024-11-13T06:42:46","date_gmt":"2024-11-12T23:42:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=125258"},"modified":"2024-11-13T06:42:46","modified_gmt":"2024-11-12T23:42:46","slug":"jim-harbaugh-has-raised-the-chargers-floor-the-next-5-weeks-will-determine-their-ceiling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=125258","title":{"rendered":"Jim Harbaugh has raised the Chargers\u2019 floor \u2014 the next 5 weeks will determine their ceiling"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>EL SEGUNDO, Calif. \u2014 The <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"56\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nfl\/team\/chargers\/\">Los Angeles Chargers<\/a> hired Jim Harbaugh to lift their organization, and within that expectation were two components.<\/p>\n<p>First, they wanted Harbaugh to raise the team\u2019s floor. In the 11 seasons before Harbaugh arrived, the Chargers made the playoffs only three times. They won more than 10 games once. They had five losing seasons, including four with at least 11 losses. Every step forward was followed by a decisive step backward. They won at times. But there was no sustained winning, season over season. Letdowns and playing down to inferior opponents were commonplace. Harbaugh was hired to change that.<\/p>\n<p>Second, they wanted Harbaugh to raise the team\u2019s ceiling. This facet takes more work. Good coaching \u2014 consistent preparation, consistent effort, consistent mentality, consistent culture \u2014 can raise a floor by itself. Raising a ceiling and propelling a team into genuine championship contention? That takes a certain level of talent throughout a roster.<\/p>\n<p>The Chargers are now nine games into the Harbaugh era, and it is clear the floor has been raised. There have been no letdowns. They have convincingly handled inferior opponents. They beat the <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"53\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nfl\/team\/raiders\/\">Las Vegas Raiders<\/a> (2-7), <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"35\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nfl\/team\/panthers\/\">Carolina Panthers<\/a> (3-7), <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"50\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nfl\/team\/saints\/\">New Orleans Saints<\/a> (3-7), <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"38\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nfl\/team\/browns\/\">Cleveland Browns<\/a> (2-7) and <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"61\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nfl\/team\/titans\/\">Tennessee Titans<\/a> (2-7) with an average margin of victory of 16 points. That number could have been bigger without late meaningless touchdowns allowed to the Browns and Titans. The Chargers are 6-3. They are firmly in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/5698572\/2024\/11\/11\/nfl-playoffs-projections-odds\/\">playoff picture<\/a>. This is what a raised floor looks like.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/5913904\/2024\/11\/10\/chargers-jim-harbaugh-edmund-fitzgerald-win\/\" class=\"go-deeper\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"go-deeper\">\n<div class=\"go-deeper-img\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2024\/11\/11004533\/GettyImages-2184068715-2-1024x683.jpg?width=128&amp;height=128&amp;fit=cover&amp;auto=webp\" class=\"go-deeper\" alt=\"go-deeper\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<p class=\"go-deeper-label\">GO DEEPER<\/p>\n<p class=\"go-deeper-title\">How Jim Harbaugh channeled a folk-rock ballad to lead Chargers to third straight win<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Now the Chargers will find out what their ceiling is in 2024. This week begins the most difficult stretch of their schedule. They play the <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"37\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nfl\/team\/bengals\/\">Cincinnati Bengals<\/a>, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"33\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nfl\/team\/ravens\/\">Baltimore Ravens<\/a>, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"32\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nfl\/team\/falcons\/\">Atlanta Falcons<\/a>, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"46\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nfl\/team\/chiefs\/\">Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> and <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"60\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nfl\/team\/buccaneers\/\">Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a> in the next five games. The raised floor has put the Chargers in the mix. The ceiling, when it comes into focus over the next five weeks, will determine what they can accomplish in this inaugural season.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can hang and play with anybody, and we just got to go and lock in,\u201d defensive lineman <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"LKoaVmVN8SyM48Nj\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nfl\/player\/morgan-fox-LKoaVmVN8SyM48Nj\/\">Morgan Fox<\/a> said. \u201cWe do have some really good teams up on the schedule coming forward, and we got to see how we can all affect the game in different ways and keep the momentum going.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To be in this position is an accomplishment. It is a change for the organization.<\/p>\n<p>In recent history, the Chargers have not always won the games they were supposed to win. And those letdowns changed the trajectory of seasons.<\/p>\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https:\/\/theathletic.com\/app\/themes\/athletic\/assets\/css\/in-content-modules.css?1731165317\"\/>\n<div class=\"in-content-module\" data-module-type=\"book\" data-module-id=\"scoop-city-newsletter\" data-module-category=\"editorial\" data-module-type-id=\"4\">\n<div class=\"in-content-module-book\"><a class=\"in-content-module-img\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/newsletters\/scoop-city\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.theathletic.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=400,height=400,fit=contain,format=auto\/app\/in-content-modules-images\/in-content-module-scoop-city-newsletter.png\" alt=\"Scoop City Newsletter\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"in-content-module-contents\">\n<div class=\"in-content-copy-container\"><a class=\"in-content-module-headline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/newsletters\/scoop-city\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Scoop City Newsletter<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"in-content-module-intro-copy long\">Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox.\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"in-content-module-intro-copy short\">Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"in-content-module-cta\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/newsletters\/scoop-city\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sign Up<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/theathletic.com\/app\/themes\/athletic\/assets\/img\/icon-arrow-right.svg\" alt=\"Buy Scoop City Newsletter\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The season finale against the Raiders in 2021, when the Chargers missed the playoffs with an overtime loss, has gone down in infamy. And rightfully so because it was an epic game. But two weeks before that, the Chargers played at a then-3-11 <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"43\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nfl\/team\/texans\/\">Houston Texans<\/a> team the day after Christmas. The Texans scored 41 points. Running back <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"T8uwAQGYJBPHtl9C\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nfl\/player\/rex-burkhead-T8uwAQGYJBPHtl9C\/\">Rex Burkhead<\/a> rushed for 149 yards and two touchdowns. The Chargers suffered an embarrassing loss, which eventually set the stage for missing the postseason.<\/p>\n<p>This is just one example of what had been a trend for the Chargers.<\/p>\n<p>Winning winnable games is a step forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI truly believe no one in the league approaches the week the same way we do,\u201d left tackle <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"3gnvVvVdeznPKuQP\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nfl\/player\/rashawn-slater-3gnvVvVdeznPKuQP\/\">Rashawn Slater<\/a> said. \u201cWe just work. It\u2019s all work, and everybody\u2019s bought in.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&#8220;Thing always get tied back to football for me..<\/p>\n<p>Guilty as charged there&#8221; \ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude02 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CoachJim4UM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@CoachJim4UM<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/PMSLive?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#PMSLive<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LofS4oJid8\">pic.twitter.com\/LofS4oJid8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PatMcAfeeShow\/status\/1856052683385516262?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 11, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>At the same time, the schedule has not significantly tested the Chargers yet. That is just the truth.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can\u2019t get ahead of ourselves and think we\u2019re anything special when we have a lot of good teams to play,\u201d edge rusher <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"eLTwiCgxw8h3F6LN\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nfl\/player\/joey-bosa-eLTwiCgxw8h3F6LN\/\">Joey Bosa<\/a> said.<\/p>\n<p>These five weeks will show us who the Chargers really are, especially on defense. Coordinator Jesse Minter\u2019s unit is playing well. The Chargers are allowing only 12.9 points per game on defense, the best mark in the league, according to TruMedia. No other defense is allowing fewer than 16 points per game. The Chargers are a more cohesive defense. They communicate better. They are more connected. They play faster. They are more physical. They have been consistent despite injuries up front and on the back end.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/5911928\/2024\/11\/10\/titans-chargers-score-takeaways-result\/\" class=\"go-deeper\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"go-deeper\">\n<div class=\"go-deeper-img\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2024\/11\/10183824\/GettyImages-2184070690.jpg?width=128&amp;height=128&amp;fit=cover&amp;auto=webp\" class=\"go-deeper\" alt=\"go-deeper\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<p class=\"go-deeper-label\">GO DEEPER<\/p>\n<p class=\"go-deeper-title\">Chargers&#8217; defensive dominance continues in 27-17 win over Titans: Takeaways<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Minter is proving himself as one of the best defensive coordinators in the <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nfl\/\">NFL<\/a>. Good coaching raises the floor. And the Chargers maintained some quality play against good offenses like the Chiefs and <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"31\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nfl\/team\/ari-cardinals\/\">Arizona Cardinals<\/a>. But what will Minter\u2019s unit look like against <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"MHPQIoyRCSO0fiiE\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nfl\/player\/joe-burrow-MHPQIoyRCSO0fiiE\/\">Joe Burrow<\/a> and <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"8vrQt8GE4bS4X4Xa\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nfl\/player\/lamar-jackson-8vrQt8GE4bS4X4Xa\/\">Lamar Jackson<\/a> in back-to-back weeks? And against the Falcons and Bucs, who have consensus top-10 offenses? And against <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"WWwiw0IQD5ozgrHf\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nfl\/player\/patrick-mahomes-WWwiw0IQD5ozgrHf\/\">Patrick Mahomes<\/a> on the road at Arrowhead?<\/p>\n<p>The ceiling is unknown.<\/p>\n<p>Fox believes Minter\u2019s approach to preparation will allow the Chargers to maintain success through this stretch.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCoach Minter always says, \u2018How would we prepare if this was the AFC Championship Game? How would we prepare if this was the Super Bowl?\u2019\u201d Fox said. \u201cSo that\u2019s kind of the mentality that we\u2019ve locked into. It\u2019s like, how would we prepare if this was the most important game of the season? So that\u2019s kind of where we\u2019ve been going, and I think that\u2019s really what\u2019s helped propel us in the direction that we\u2019re going.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Said Harbaugh: \u201cOne-week league. I think everybody understands what that is and what needs to go in, in terms of preparation, to give yourself a better chance to be successful in that game.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Chargers started the season 2-0 with wins over the Raiders and Panthers. After the win in Carolina, the Chargers spent the week in Charlotte before heading to Pittsburgh to face the <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"55\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nfl\/team\/steelers\/\">Steelers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn to Pittsburgh,\u201d Harbaugh said that week. \u201cLet\u2019s find out what we\u2019re made of.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Chargers battled, but quarterback <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"9NHrY7HxyKCR40Kh\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nfl\/player\/justin-herbert-9NHrY7HxyKCR40Kh\/\">Justin Herbert<\/a> was knocked out of the game in the second half because of his high ankle sprain. They lost 20-10.<\/p>\n<p>Harbaugh does not view this five-game stretch as the same type of litmus test.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know what our guys are now,\u201d he said. \u201cI know what we are, who we are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harbaugh knows.<\/p>\n<p>The rest of us will find out over the next five weeks.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><em>(Photo of Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert: Harry How \/ Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/5916265\/2024\/11\/12\/jim-harbaugh-chargers-ceiling\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>EL SEGUNDO, Calif. \u2014 The Los Angeles Chargers hired Jim Harbaugh to lift their organization, and within that expectation were two components. First, they wanted Harbaugh to raise the team\u2019s &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=125258\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-125258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=125258"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125258\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=125258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=125258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=125258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}