After going to bat in the third-ever running of the Harbaugh Bowl, the first featuring the Los Angeles Chargers against the Baltimore Ravens, narratives were abound.
The Ravens fought back in a major way after dropping Week 11 to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Chargers lost a step in their AFC Wildcard battle both to the Denver Broncos and teams like the Ravens and Steelers. And most importantly of all, one of Jack Harbaugh’s sons won their game on Monday Night Football, even if his other son had to end up on the losing end of the equation.
Discussing the experience of coaching across from his brother almost a decade after their shared Super Bowl, John told fans and reporters alike what he said to his brother after the game, which won’t leave a single football fan not in their feelings.
“I just told him, ‘You’re a great coach, and you have a great team. I love you,’” Harbaugh told reporters. “And he said, ‘Congratulations.’ It was good.”
Nice stuff, right? Well wait, it gets even better, as John had some pretty interesting things to say about Jim that will draw headlines around the NFL.
John Harbaugh believes Jim is one of the NFL’s best coaches
Discussing the challenge of going up against a Chargers team that is very good regardless of who is holding the clipboard, John Harbaugh made a bold declaration about his brother Jim, noting that anyone who can turn that LA team from where they were at in 2023 to where they are at now has to be considered one of the best coaches in the NFL.
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“And these are, these are just huge battles, huge battles every week in this league. And going against a team that’s this well-coached by all of their coaches and my brother Jim. The best coach in the National Football League for what he’s done with that team, how hard they played, and what they did. Hats off to them, cause they’re gonna win a lot more football games this year and be a major factor in the playoffs,” Harbaugh told reporters.
“So this is a big win for our guys, I’m proud of our guys, I’m proud of how they came out and responded after the first ten points, we were down ten to nothing, and our guys stepped up. I think they had two field goals until the last drive on defense and our offense had I think five or six scoring drives right in a row there to make a difference, so that’s why I really appreciate our guys, they don’t flinch; they always keep fighting. They got locked in on some details and they played really good, winning football.”
Wow, you know what? Harbaugh kind of has a point, as the Chargers really didn’t look that attractive when Brandon Staley and Giff Smith collectively led the Chargers to just five wins in 2024. If Jim can double his team’s wins and take the Chargers to the playoffs in his first season coaching an NFL team this decade, his case for Coach of the Year will be among the better ones in the entire NFL.