Will Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert outplay Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford?
Among the 12 NFL teams that have never won the Super Bowl, the Los Angeles Chargers were ranked by NFL.com as the sixth-most likely to break their curse in 2025. Eric Edholm noted that the Chargers went 8-3 in their last 11 games last season and Jim Harbaugh’s defense finished the year first in points allowed on defense and had the second-fewest turnovers on offense.
The Chargers and Rams are going into their 10th season as co-representatives of L.A., but the Rams have been the far more dominant team of the two. Is 2025 the year that the Chargers catch up or even surpass the Rams?
Most likely to win first Super Bowl in 2025 NFL season? (via @Eric_Edholm) The league will be gunning for the Chargers this season — and the path back to the playoffs won’t be easy.https://t.co/RZ5nJBl5sN pic.twitter.com/OoGeRki7ic
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) June 4, 2025
Harbaugh vs. McVay
Despite Jim Harbaugh’s success as a coach in both college and the NFL, including a 55-25-1 record (.685) in the pros, he’s just 5-4 in the playoffs, including a wild card loss in 2024.
McVay has a .606 career winning percentage with a 80-52 record, but is 8-5 in the playoffs with two Super Bowl appearances and one championship.
Herbert vs. Stafford
In some ways, Herbert might compare himself to Stafford. A high draft pick with all the tools in the world to be an MVP and a Super Bowl champion, Herbert has been haunted in critical moments both by his teammates and his own crucial mistakes.
Stafford didn’t win a playoff game until he joined the Rams — his 13th year in the NFL — so will Herbert have to wait nearly as long? He’s 0-2 in the playoffs right now with 2 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.
Stafford is 10 years older than Herbert, but in his last three trips to the playoffs with the Rams, he has 15 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, going 5-2 in seven starts.
Rest vs. Rest
As noted, the Chargers had one of the best defenses in the NFL in 2024 and they’re banking on addition by subtraction after parting with Joey Bosa following a plague of injuries. The Chargers spent their first pick on running bck Omarion Hampton and their second on receiver Tre Harris.
He’ll join second-year receiver Ladd McConkey (over 1,000 yards last year) and returnee Mike Williams, as well as former first round pick Quentin Johnson. Left tackle Rashawn Slater is holding out for a better contract, but he bookends with Joe Alt to form one of the league’s best offensive line duos.
The Rams once again opted out of the NFL’s first round by trading down in the draft. But they signed Davante Adams to replace Cooper Kupp and are counting on healthy seasons from Puka Nacua, Tyler Higbee, and Kyren Williams.
The defense ranked 26th in points per drive allowed (compared to 3rd for the Chargers) but many of the starters were inexperienced and coordinator Chris Shula is counting on improvement across the board.
So who wins more games in 2025? Rams or Chargers?
