INGLEWOOD, Calif. — During Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh’s press conference in February, he described the goal of changing the Chargers’ culture from a team that popularizes light blue uniforms to one that is physically active and wears teams down late in games.

Harbaugh’s speech was prophetic — his vision became reality in Sunday’s 22-10 victory over the Oakland Raiders. L.A. outscored its division rivals 15-3 in the fourth quarter and had one of the best rushing performances by the team in franchise history.

“(Winning) is hard to come by. Everybody in that locker room knows that, and so do I,” Harbaugh said. “It’s really hard to win a game in the NFL, and I take my hat off to everybody in the organization, especially those who have done the dirty work here.”

It was Harbaugh’s first game back in the NFL since 2014, when he was head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. He improved his NFL record to 45-19-1, the fifth-best winning percentage (.700) for a head coach in NFL history.

Owner Dean Spanos interrupted Harbaugh’s postgame speech by presenting game balls to Harbaugh and GM Joe Hortiz, prompting loud gasps of excitement from Harbaugh and the players. After the game, Harbaugh said he felt “really lucky and fortunate.”

“When someone takes the lead like that and the locker room follows him, you know, it’s a special day for him to get his first win,” quarterback Justin Herbert said.

It was an eventful return for Harbaugh, who sprinted onto the court in the fourth quarter to break up what he called a “melee” between players. Officials ejected Chargers WR Joshua Palmer and Raiders CB Jack Jones for a brawl that involved multiple players from both teams.

“I’m just trying to get our guys back, separate them, let the rest of the guys come,” Harbaugh said. “I was just trying to break it up.”

The Chargers were buoyed by their defense, which kept them in the game while the offense struggled. Harbaugh was particularly impressed with Joey Bosa, who had a sack, a forced fumble and seven tackles. Khalil Mack also had 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery.

While the defense dominated, the offense stalled. In the first three quarters, they had run six plays in the red zone, yielding six yards. That changed in the fourth quarter when running back JK Dobbins got free for a 12-yard rushing touchdown. Later in the quarter, Dobbins got free for a 61-yard gain that set up a 10-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey to effectively decide the game.

Dobbins finished with 10 carries for 135 yards and 1 TD. It was one of the best openers by a running back in Chargers history. For that performance, Harbaugh gave Dobbins his game ball. (Though he told Dobbins he would need it back after his speech.)

Dobbins averaged 13.5 yards per attempt, the most yards by any running back in a season opener in NFL history. He also had 135 rushing yards, the most by any player in his first game for the Chargers.

It was the kind of performance Dobbins had told reporters months ago that he was in for a “special” season. Injuries have plagued Dobbins, who has played in just 24 of a potential 74 games since the Baltimore Ravens drafted him in 2020.

He signed a one-year contract with the Chargers worth $1,610,000, of which only $50,000 is guaranteed for this offseason.

After the game, Dobbins said he was “so disappointed” with his performance, as he was run over and tackled from behind by defenders during his two long runs of 61 and 46 yards.

“I need to get in shape,” Dobbins said. “I thought I was in shape, but I wasn’t.”