The heat was scorching, the fans were cheering and the knockout punch was near.

Late Sunday afternoon at SoFi Stadium, the stage was set for the continuation of a years-long tradition born of the persistent slumps of a certain local team.

Except these Chargers weren’t “Charger.”

These Chargers “Harbaughed.”

These Chargers fought back when the Las Vegas Raiders beat them down, these Chargers stood up when the Raiders beat them down, these Chargers found their strength when their forebears generally lost their willpower.

These Chargers “Harbaughed,” which translated into using inspiration from their new coach to beat the Raiders, 22-10, in a season opener that made a statement.

Jim Harbaugh is a real man.

The culture change is real. The locker room belief is real. The results are real.

“We knew what we had to do,” tackle Rashawn Slater said. “And we did it.”

What they had to do was overcome a lackluster first half and a late Raider surge to win in the fourth quarter. That’s exactly what they did, completing two long touchdown drives in the final 15 minutes to create a new identity for this long-maligned franchise.

“When we needed to be our best, we were our best,” Harbaugh said afterward outside a noisy locker room filled with giddy hope. “Being your best when your best is needed the most … John Wooden … Coach Wooden right there.”

He quotes the great philosophers, but he turns his players into street fighters. And that’s what he’s done here.

These Chargers run the ball down your throat, ignore the arm of great young quarterback Justin Herbert and battle it out in the trenches. They had 176 yards rushing, 32 more yards than Herbert managed through the air, including two long JK Dobbins rumbles that won the game.

These Chargers will also beat you into submission, with a defense so good it panicked Raiders coach Antonio Pierce into making a terrible fourth-down call that sealed the game.

With rushers Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack finally healthy again and causing havoc, the Raiders were limited to 296 yards, committed three turnovers and were exposed as fake tough guys.

These Chargers are a carbon copy of the smart, tough Harbaugh, whom they hired in the winter after he won a national championship at the University of Michigan.

Everywhere Harbaugh has been — Stanford, the San Francisco 49ers, Michigan — he has created big winners. If Sunday’s season opener was any indication, it’s going to happen here, too.

Chargers fans — including one who held a sign reading “Make Chargers Great Again” — saw a difference in Game 1 of the Jim Harbaugh era.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

While the crowd was mostly Raiders fans as usual, this game felt different. Despite being outscored by a single point in an uncomfortable first half played in temperatures of over 90 degrees, the Chargers never looked tired or defeated.

Just last December, this team was humiliated by the Raiders in a 63-21 drubbing. On Sunday, it felt like ancient history.

Just two seasons ago, this team blew a 27-point lead in a playoff game in Jacksonville. On Sunday, this was a different franchise.

They had a 9-7 lead late in the third quarter and needed a long drive to hold on to it. They got one, going 61 yards in six plays that ended with Dobbins running through a huge hole for a touchdown.

After the Raiders scored a stunning point from the Chargers’ 43-yard line midway through the quarter, they needed another long drive to seal the victory.

Chargers running back JK Dobbins (27) is caught from behind by Raiders cornerback Nate Hobbs (39) after a first-down run in the second half.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Boom! Done — 92 yards in eight plays with a 61-yard dash by Dobbins.

Herbert finally got involved in the game late in the drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to rookie Ladd McConkey, but the star quarterback spent most of the day managing the game rather than trying to win it.

He was fine with that.

“Where we’ve been … there’s times when we go three-and-out and kick the ball away and things are different,” Herbert said. “To hit the ball like that and the defense to come up with a big stop, that’s been great to see.”

A new day. A new kind of quarterback. And yes, it’s all about a new coach.

Chargers defensive tackle Poona Ford (95) intercepts a pass from teammate Khalil Mack to secure the win over the Raiders.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Harbaugh’s influence was embodied late in the game when the two teams briefly battled each other behind the end zone. It seemed like every Charger tried to sprint off the bench to join the fray, a kind of teamwork we haven’t seen in years. And Harbaugh, of course, joined the charge.

“It’s a real energy from the guys … to have a guy who takes charge and a locker room that buys into him and follows him. … It’s a special day,” Herbert said.

Harbaugh set an example for his new team even before the kickoff. In stifling temperatures, he showed up in a white polo shirt buttoned all the way up. And afterward, there was no sign of sweat.

“He sets the tone for the whole program,” Slater said. “His message comes from the top, he’s been so consistent about it, there’s never been a doubt about it.”

That message applies to the entire team, as he thanked nearly everyone on the depth chart during his post-game press conference and praised all aspects of the attack.

The defense?

“That really gave a certain atmosphere to this match,” he said.

The Chargers defense kept pressure on Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew II (15) in the second half.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The attack at full speed?

“Great dedication, running the ball, great confidence in the offensive line, they’re the focal point,” he said. “We feel like we can attack with that group … we love them.”

In keeping with his theme of inclusivity, Harbaugh claimed that he did not create a culture. He claimed that this kind of harsh atmosphere was already present when he arrived.

“I say on behalf of all the new guys… we are the lucky ones,” he said, later adding: “The culture is already here… the culture here is work… they don’t ask for mercy, they don’t give mercy, they are anything you want them to be.”

It’s a nice sentiment, but it’s completely unfounded. The Chargers had great locker room leaders and talent before Harbaugh, that’s for sure. But nothing like this.

Another team. A reborn future. A new vocabulary.

Attacking. Defending. “Harbaughing.”