The heat was scorching, the fans were cheering, the knockout blow was imminent.

Late Sunday afternoon, the stage was set at SoFi Stadium for the continuation of a long-standing tradition fostered by the constant collapses of a certain local team.

Except these chargers didn’t “charge.”

These Chargers “harbaughed.”

These Chargers fought back when the Las Vegas Raiders pushed them around. These Chargers stood up when the Raiders beat them down. These Chargers found their strength when their forebears typically lost their will.

These Chargers took inspiration from their new coach and beat the Raiders 22-10 in a statement-making season opener.

Jim Harbaugh is the real one.

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

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

They had to overcome a dismal first half and a late Raiders charge to win in the fourth quarter. And that’s exactly what they did, completing two long touchdown drives in the final 15 minutes and creating a new identity for this long-maligned franchise.

“When we needed to be at our best, we were at our best,” Harbaugh said afterward to a noisy locker room full of giddy hope. “Being at your best when you need it most… John Wooden… Coach Wooden here.”

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

These Chargers will drive the ball down your throat, ignoring the arm of great young quarterback Justin Herbert to fight it out in the trenches. They gained 176 yards in the running game, 32 more than Herbert through the air, including two long runs by JK Dobbins that decided the game.

These Chargers will bring you to your knees, too, with a defense so strong that it freaked Raiders coach Antonio Pierce out and made a terrible call on fourth down that sealed the outcome.

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

These Chargers are truly a reflection of the smart and tough Harbaugh, whom they hired in the winter after he won the national championship with the University of Michigan.

Wherever Harbaugh has gone – Stanford, San Francisco 49ers, Michigan – he has produced big winners. If Sunday’s opening game was any indication, it will happen here, too.

Chargers fans – including one holding a sign that read “Make Chargers Great Again” – saw a difference in Game 1 of the Jim Harbaugh era.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Although the crowd was mostly Raiders fans, as usual, this game felt different. Despite being down by one point in an uncomfortable first half in 90-degree heat, the Chargers never looked tired or beaten.

Just last December, this team was embarrassed by the Raiders 63-21. 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, it was like a different franchise.

Leading 9-7 late in the third quarter, they needed a long drive to maintain it. They did so by running 55 yards in six plays, with Dobbins running through a huge gap at the end for a touchdown.

Then, after the Raiders executed a stunning punt from the Chargers’ 43-yard line midway through the quarter, they needed another long drive to pull off the win.

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, including a 61-yard sprint by Dobbins.

Herbert finally got involved at the end of 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.

That was perfectly fine with him.

“Where we were … there were moments where we went three and out and punted the ball and things went different,” Herbert said. “To drive the ball like that and the defense make a great stop, that was great to see.”

A new day. A new guy at quarterback. And yes, it’s all about a new coach.

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

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Harbaugh’s influence was evident late in the game when the two teams briefly tussled behind the end zone. It seemed as though every Charger was trying to sprint off the bench to get into the fray – a kind of teamwork not seen in recent years. And of course, Harbaugh was part of that attack.

“There’s a real energy from the guys … to have a guy that leads like that and a locker room that goes along with it and follows him. … It’s a special day,” Herbert said.

Even before kickoff, Harbaugh was a role model for his new team. In the stifling temperatures, he appeared in a white polo shirt buttoned up to the top. And there was no trace of sweat afterwards.

“He sets the tone for the whole program,” said Slater. “His message comes from the top, he is so consistent, there is never any doubt about that with him.”

That message applies to the entire team, and he spent his postgame press conference thanking nearly everyone on the team’s roster and praising every aspect of the offense.

The defense?

“It really added excitement to the game,” he said.

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

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

The ongoing attack?

“Great commitment, a lot of running, a lot of trust in the offensive line, they’re the spearhead,” he said. “We feel like we can attack with this group … we love them.”

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

“I say on behalf of all the new people… we are the lucky ones,” he said, later adding: “The culture is already here… the culture here is work… they ask for no mercy, they give no mercy, they are whatever you want.”

That’s a nice opinion, but it’s completely unfounded. The Chargers certainly had great leadership and talent in the locker room before Harbaugh. But nothing like this.

A different team. A new future. A new vocabulary.

Attack. Defend. “Harbaughing.”