Chargers' gritty win over Raiders proves just how valuable Jim Harbaugh is

Up six with the ball deep in the team's own territory with seven minutes to play. This is a situation the LA Chargers have been in many times in recent years and more often than not, the Bolts have done everything in their power to lose these games.

But not with Jim Harbaugh.

The Chargers marched down the field, headlined by a 61-yard burst from J.K. Dobbins, and went for the kill with a third down in the red zone. Justin Herbert found rookie wideout Ladd McConkey, who proceeded to ole two receivers into the endzone for six.

The Chargers didn't "Charger" away the game. Instead, the Bolts peaked at the right time, defeating the Las Vegas Raiders 22-10 to move to 1-0 on the season.

The Chargers look like a completely different organization with Jim Harbaugh

It was not always pretty. The Chargers' offense struggled for most of the game as the Raiders were able to send the house without the worry of an above-average weapon making them pay. If it was not for two Raiders turnovers, the Chargers would not have scored at all in the first half.

But at the end of the day, the Chargers got better as the game went along. The team peaked at the right time. Unlike previous years when the Bolts would come out hot and slowly fizzle into a disappointing loss, this Chargers team got better as the game went along.

That is the number one sign of a well-coached football team. Even if the talent is thin in certain areas, a team with a good head coach gets better with every passing second on the game clock. That is exactly what the Bolts did and by the time the final whistle blew, the Raiders didn't even look like they were in the same realm.

Most importantly, this was a great team win for the Chargers. This was not a case of Justin Herbert carrying the team while the rest of the roster let everyone down. This was a team effort where Herbert's shortcomings did not matter as the defense and running game picked up the slack.

It is very early in the 2024 season and the Raiders might end up being one of the worst teams in the league. This win might not be as impressive in November as it is directly after the result is final. Anything can happen and a Week 1 win does not mean anything for the rest of the season.

However, it is hard not to feel the difference in tihs Chargers team from years past. There is a reason why Harbaugh is so beloved, after all. On Sunday, he gave Chargers fans a taste of what it is like to win Harbaugh-style.