JUSTIN HERBERT (Ty Nowell/Chargers photo).

By Joe Reedy/AP Sports Writer

Jim Harbaugh, Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers celebrated in the locker room Saturday after they wrapped up a playoff spot with a 40-7 victory over the New England Patriots.

But even as they realized one goal by making the postseason, Harbaugh tried to keep things focused on the road ahead by stressing: “There’s more to do.”

The Chargers (10-6) go into the regular-season finale at Las Vegas knowing they will be at least the AFC’s sixth seed and avoid a trip to Buffalo for the wild-card round.

Los Angeles currently is in line to face Baltimore in a Harbaugh Bowl rematch, but it has an outside shot at the fifth seed and a trip to Houston if Cincinnati beats Pittsburgh next weekend.

While Harbaugh credited his players for the turnaround from five wins last year to double-digit victories this season, Herbert gave most of it to Harbaugh and first-year general manager Joe Hortiz.

“They have done such a great job of getting the right guys here. You look in the locker room and everybody plays for each other,” Herbert said. “(Harbaugh’s) a competitor, and he wants to win no matter what it is. It definitely shows, and it’s the way everyone fights for him, wants to play for him, and respects him.”

Harbaugh is the fifth coach in NFL history to win at least 10 games in his first season with two teams. He is also the eighth to make the playoffs in his first season with two teams.

“Very little to do with me. If it goes right, then it’s our players. They’re doing a great job. It’s gone bad a couple times. That’s on me,” he said. “I’ve been drinking the Kool-Aid here from day one, I can’t give enough credit to Derwin James, Justin Herbert, and those two in particular. And Khalil Mack and Rashawn Slater. I mean, stalwarts. Brad Bozeman has come in. He’s been a stalwart. There’s a bunch. There’s probably, like — I counted it up early. There was maybe 15, 15 stalwarts that we had, and it’s grown since then.”

Even though the Chargers are 3-5 against teams with winning records at the time they’ve played them, they are 7-1 against teams that were at or under .500. Four of those wins against opponents with losing records have come by at least 17 points, the first time since 2017 the Bolts have won that many games by as big a margin.

Since halftime of their Dec. 19 game against Denver, the Chargers have outscored the Broncos and Patriots 61-13 over six quarters.
“That’s the type of football we want to be playing in December, January, and hopefully on. That’s the type of football you want to be playing, especially in these big games like that. It was really good to see,” Herbert said.