5 major observations from Chargers' win in Jim Harbaugh's NFL return

The LA Chargers won a gritty game in Week 1 against the Las Vegas Raiders to open the season with a 1-0 record. Los Angeles did not play a perfect game but it was clean enough for the Bolts to outlast the Raiders, peaking at the right time while the Raiders gave the game away.

This win doesn't just represent a 1-0 start for the Chargers in the 2024 season, it represents the start of the Jim Harbaugh era. In many ways, Harbaugh's fingerprints were all over this football game as the Chargers were able to survive adversity and win a losable game.

Chargers fans have seen their favorite team lose so many games that went very similar to the Bolts' Week 1 win. However, with a good coaching staff in place, the Bolts were able to hang on and were never even in a position to "Charger" away the game.

It is just one game and it is impossible to say Harbaugh has completely cleansed this team of its bad luck already. However, there are several key observations from the contest that point at a future where "Chargering" may no longer be a thing.

Let's dive into what we learned/saw from Harbaugh's Chargers debut.

1. The Chargers were playing with an energy unforeseen in recent years

Harbaugh's biggest asset as a head coach is his ability to get players to buy into what he is selling and leave it all out on the field. After a decade away from the professional game, there were some wondering if he would be able to connect with an NFL locker room in the same way.

There should be absolutely no questions about Harbaugh's ability to connect after Week 1. Even if the Chargers lost this game it was apparent the level of energy and buy-in they were playing with.

If you compare this to the last time the Chargers and Raiders met, which was Brandon Staley's last game as head coach, it is night and day. That was a team that gave up on its head coach and many of the same players were going through the motions. That was not the case on Sunday, as the Bolts were playing with an energy that has not been seen in quite some time.

It may not have always translated to the offensive side of the ball but the Chargers do not win this game if it was not for the intense energy the team was playing with on the defensive side. And even though it was not always pretty offensively, the Chargers did eventually break through in the fourth quarter.

The best-coached teams get better as the game goes along and peak at the right times. That is exactly what the Chargers did on Sunday as it is beyond obvious that this team is completely bought into whatever Harbaugh is selling.