Forget Kobe Bryant vs Shaquille O’Neal, this AFC West rivalry is about to get supercharged. The defending champs are looking to run it back for an unprecedented three-peat. But this time, there’s a new sheriff in town; throwing a wrench into Patrick Mahomes‘ dreams of an AFC West monopoly. Jim Harbaugh has swaggered into LA, bringing that signature intensity to the Chargers.

They are preparing to measure up against Andy Reid’s powerhouse Kansas City Chiefs. The no-nonsense coach has already put the spotlight on the division with his whacky pressers. If Harbaugh’s track record is any indication, the Chargers are about to go Full Metal Jacket on the AFC West. “Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all-time thing. You don’t win once in a while; you don’t do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.” That’s Vince Lombardi, the legendary American football coach’s words describing the immense pressure on elite athletes like Patrick Mahomes to sustain success year after year.

Well, Jim Harbaugh is bringing that same championship-or-bust mentality to try and knock Mahomes off his AFC West throne. The boisterous coach has hit the ground running in LA, injecting new life into a Chargers squad that severely underachieved last season at 5-12. Harbaugh’s calling card is intensity and physicality.

Hayden Hurst, the Chargers’ tight end and a former player under Harbaugh’s brother in Baltimore, expressed his first impression of the offseason training. Hurst said at the NFL Combine, “From what I’m understanding in the first round of the meetings, that’s the mantra of this place. We’re gonna be physical (and) we’re gonna come at you.”

Harbaugh has the pedigree to back up the bravado too. He took the 49ers from 6-10 to 13-3 division champs in his first season and nearly won a Super Bowl in year two. Then at Michigan, he broke through with a national title after several close calls. The man knows how to flip a program’s culture in a hurry. So while the Chargers may have world-class talent in Justin Herbert, they were still spinning their wheels last year without that X-factor of championship resolve that Harbaugh specializes in instilling.

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Speaking of elite QBs under massive scrutiny, the noise around Patrick Mahomes growing complacent is getting louder by the day. Sure, he’s made it to 6 straight AFC title games, but chasing Michael Jordan-level rings is a young man’s game. It’s going to take every ounce of that legendary Harbaugh energy, but don’t be surprised if this is the season the torch gets passed.

Stephen A. Smith can’t hold back his praise for Harbaugh

If Jim Harbaugh’s firey persona wasn’t enough to get fans hyped for an AFC West shake-up, listen to what Stephen A. Smith has to say. The boisterous ESPN analyst is all-in on Harbaugh reviving the Chargers into legitimate contenders to Patrick Mahomes’ throne.

“I get to look at a resume do I get to look at you in four years as the coach in San Francisco as an NFL coach you went to three NFC championship games when nobody saw it coming,” Smith remarked, pointing to Harbaugh’s recent sustained success at the college level. “I’m also looking at Mike Williams and Keenan Allen I know these brothers can play but the reality is that you had two 2 million a year wide receivers that were missing the playoff with Justin Herbert as your quarterback”

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Smith sees a major upside in Harbaugh maximizing underrated talents like Joshua Palmer and Quentin Johnson in LA’s receiver room. But it’s the coach’s keen eye for identifying “diamonds in the rough” that has Smith thinking big things are brewing. He envisions Harbaugh deploying a more “rough house” offensive attack led by bruising back Gus Edwards to complement Herbert’s aerial assault.

Most encouraging for Smith though is Harbaugh’s track record. “All I’m saying is when I look at Jim Harbaugh, he gives me cause to pause and makes me say there’s a reason to believe if anybody can disrupt the dominance of Kansas City particularly in the AFC West, I think he’s somebody that figures that out.” Declared Smith on a recent episode of First Take.

There’s no doubt the path to dethroning the Chiefs goes straight through Arrowhead where Mahomes is a sparkling 30-5 in division games over his 6-year career. But Stephen A. seems convinced that if any coach can solve that riddle, it’s the unconventional Harbaugh breathing new life into an immensely talented Chargers core. Brace yourselves, NFL fans – this AFC West rivalry is about to get legendary.

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