A fourth-down gamble went wrong in the fourth quarter and Denver turned it into a win, with Harbaugh calling the decision the maddest he has been at himself.
Jim Harbaugh is not one to undersell things, but even by his standards this was a stark postgame moment. With the Chargers up 17-10 and 10:33 left in the fourth quarter, Harbaugh chose to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Los Angeles 41. Justin Herbert ran it and was stuffed, handing Denver the ball on downs.
The Broncos made it count. They scored a touchdown to tie the game, then added two field goals on their next two possessions to pull away and win 23-17.
Harbaugh did not look for excuses afterward. "I can't think of a time where I've been more mad at myself," he said, adding that the call "turned the momentum of the game" and that it was "100% on me."
The loss was the team's fifth straight to start the season, leaving Los Angeles at 0-5. Harbaugh looked worn down at the podium afterward, struggling at times to find words when asked what message he had for his team going forward.