Since Jim Harbaugh became the coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, his main focus has been on physical play.
He also had his team do “fourth-quarter finisher” conditioning drills during the offseason and training camp to emphasize that he wanted them to excel in the final 15 minutes of the game.
Both of these elements were evident on Sunday as the Harbaugh era began with a 22-10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
“I’ve said it before, this is the Los Angeles Chargers approach,” Harbaugh said on Monday. “There have been a lot of fourth-quarter finishers that have gone before us, and I felt our guys when they put up the four. They thought about it. We did a lot to put us in position.”
In the past, the fourth quarter was a challenging time during Mike McCoy, Anthony Lynn, and Brandon Staley’s coaching years, but Harbaugh has made it a priority to change that.
The Chargers scored both of their touchdowns in the fourth quarter in true Harbaugh fashion. The defense made important stops throughout the game, allowing the offense to get going.
A key example of good teamwork happened in the middle of the fourth quarter. The defense stopped the Raiders on a fourth-and-1 at the LA 43 and forced them to punt after successfully defending against short-yardage plays in the first half.
The offense then took over at their own 8-yard line and drove 92 yards in eight plays, ending with Ladd McConkey’s 12-yard touchdown catch to extend the lead to 12 points. J.K. Dobbins made a crucial play with a 61-yard run during the drive.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Dobbins gave Los Angeles the lead with a 12-yard run off the right tackle.
Dobbins, who had a 46-yard run in the third quarter setting up Cameron Dicker’s third field goal, is the first Chargers running back to have two carries of at least 45 yards in a game since Michael Turner in 2007.
