When a 310-lb nose tackle closes out a game with an interception, it becomes fairly apparent that the Jim Harbaugh style of football has fully integrated with the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chargers were not the best first quarter team, nor were they the best second quarter team. Down 6-7 at the half, fans were left wondering if all the talk of culture change and winning football was nothing more than empty words. The Las Vegas Raiders were playing tough football and looked one score away from stealing a game on the road.
Harbaugh didn't blink. The Chargers didn't blink. Ben Herbert was definitely not blinking and likely shooting a death stare at the opposition. Suddenly, in a way Chargers fans are not quite used to, the team adjusted and leaned into their offseason conditioning to seal the game.
The Chargers' offense started the game 23rd/28 and 25th/28 in Expected Points Added per Play in the first and second quarter, respectively. Panic? No, that's a thing of the past. This coaching staff knows how to close out games. In the third quarter, that EPA/Play jumped to 10th. The fourth quarter: Third in EPA/Play, highlighted by a JK Dobbins rushing touchdown and a Ladd McConkey receiving score.
It's not about who is the toughest, but who is toughest the longest. The Raiders were a tough team. The Chargers were tougher for longer. When head coach Antonio Pierce elected to kick a field goal and then punt, the Chargers smelled blood in the water. The more confident, well-conditioned, and well-coached team seized an opportunity and sent the Raiders home wondering about their own head coach.
ladd is really like that
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) September 8, 2024
📺 | @nfloncbs pic.twitter.com/xU4GZmBvly
On the other side of the football, the Chargers' defense was playing out of their minds. Aside from one missed tackle leading to an early score, defensive coordinator Jesse Minter's defense played an outstanding game of football. After one week of football (Monday Night Football pending), the Chargers are fourth in EPA/Play, including being the best rush EPA/Play defense in the NFL. It was an impressive performance that required sound football from every position group.
The Chargers are going to be dangerous because they do not fear a loss. There is no panic, because their head coach has seen it all before. The head coach said it best: "This is a great bunch of guys, and the culture here is work. They ask no quarter, they give no quarter."
Harbaugh football is here to stay, and frankly, Chargers fans are loving every bit of it.
