EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Since being hired as the Los Angeles Chargers coach, Jim Harbaugh’s mantra has been to be physical.
He also had his team participate in “fourth-quarter finisher” conditioning drills during the offseason and training camp to drive home the point that he wanted his team to be at its best in the final 15 minutes.
Both were on display on Sunday as the Harbaugh era began with a 22-10 victory 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.”
The fourth quarter had been one of angst during Mike McCoy, Anthony Lynn, and Brandon Staley’s tenures, but Harbaugh has made it a priority to change that.
The Chargers scored both of their touchdowns in the fourth quarter in a Harbaugh-style game. The defense made key stops throughout the game before the offense got things in gear.
The best example of complementary football came in the middle of the fourth quarter. The defense forced the Raiders to punt on fourth-and-1 at the LA 43 after stopping Las Vegas on short-yardage plays in the first half.
The offense took over at their 8 after a punt and turned that into a eight-play, 92-yard drive that culminated in Ladd McConkey’s 12-yard TD catch to make it a 12-point lead. J.K. Dobbins had the critical play of the drive with a 61-yard carry. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Dobbins put Los Angeles on top with a 12-yard run off right tackle.
Dobbins, whose 46-yard run up the middle in the third quarter set the stage for Cameron Dicker’s third field goal, is the first Bolts back with a pair of carries of at least 45 yards in a game since Michael Turner in 2007.
Harbaugh’s message in the locker room after the game, though, was that the upcoming week was bigger than the opener. He pointed out that the biggest improvement teams make is between the first and second games.
“It’s great to play well and have a great game. But to win and still have stuff to work on is encouraging as heck for a player, unit and team,” Harbaugh said.
Among all the great performances from the defense, the stat that sticks out the most is that Jesse Minter’s unit allowed the Raiders to run only one play in the red zone, which resulted in Khalil Mack sacking Gardner Minshew for a 4-yard loss. Mack, who definitely plays with an extra chip on his shoulder against the team he began his NFL career with, had three tackles and 1 1/2 sacks.
The coverage units on special teams. Ameer Abdullah had a 28-yard kick return to the Raiders 33-yard line in the first quarter, and Tre Tucker returned a punt by J.K. Scott 21 yards to near midfield in the fourth.
Poona Ford was an under-the-radar signing during the offseason, but had a big impact on the defensive line in his Chargers debut. Midway through the first quarter fourth-and-1, the defensive end blew past Raiders center Andre James and tight end Michael Mayer (who lined up as a fullback) to stop Zamir White for a 1-yard loss at the Raiders 40. Ford then picked off the first pass of his seven-year career in the fourth quarter when Mack tipped Minshew’s screen pass intended for Alexander Mattison.
Josh Palmer is the Chargers’ most experienced wide receiver, had only two receptions for 15 yards. He is also facing a fine from the league office after being involved in a fight outside the end zone with Raiders cornerback Josh Jones following a failed 2-point conversion in the fourth quarter.
Wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. is out for at least the next three games after being placed on injured reserve last Saturday.
0: Quarterback pressures allowed by Joe Alt in 11 one-on-one matchups against Raiders All Pro defensive end Maxx Crosby, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. The previous time Crosby was shut out in a matchup against an offensive lineman was Week 9 of 2022 against Jacksonville. Alt, the fifth overall pick in the draft, allowed three pressures in his other 17 pass-blocking snaps.
67: Games it took for safety Derwin James to reach 500 tackles, making him the fastest defensive back to reach that milestone since 2000. Giants safety Landon Collins was the previous quickest when he reached it in 67 games.
The Chargers look to go 2-0 for the first time since 2012 on Sunday at Carolina, the first of two straight road games in the Eastern time zone. The Panthers have won six of the seven meetings, with the Chargers’ lone victory coming in 2004 in Charlotte.
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Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Poona Ford (95) celebrates after an interception against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins (27) runs against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Los Angeles Chargers center Bradley Bozeman, left, is congratulated by head coach Jim Harbaugh after a field goal against the Las Vegas Raiders during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
SRINAGAR, India (AP) — In Indian-controlled Kashmir, many people boycotted elections for decades in protest against Indian rule. But in the run-up to the local election beginning Wednesday, many are willing to buck that trend and use their vote to deny Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party the power to form a local government in the disputed region.
The vote is the first in a decade, and the first since Modi’s Hindu nationalist government in 2019 scrapped the Muslim-majority region’s special status and downgraded the former state to a federally governed territory. The move — which largely resonated in India and among Modi supporters — was mostly opposed in the region as an assault on its identity and autonomy.
“Boycotts will not work in this election,” said Abdul Rashid, a resident in southern Kashmir’s Shangus village. “There is a desperate need to end the onslaught of changes coming from there (India).”
The election will allow residents to have their own truncated government and a local parliament called an assembly, instead of remaining under New Delhi’s direct rule. The region’s last assembly election was held in 2014, after which Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party for the first time ruled the region in a coalition with the local Peoples Democratic Party.
But the government collapsed in 2018 after BJP withdrew from the coalition. Polls in the past have been marked with violence, boycotts and vote-rigging, even though India called them a victory over separatism.
This time, New Delhi says the polls are ushering in democracy after more than three decades of strife. However, many locals see the vote as an opportunity not only to elect their own representatives but also to register their protest against the 2019 changes.
Polling will be held in three phases. The second and third phases are scheduled for Sept. 25 and Oct. 1. Votes will be counted on Oct. 8, with results expected that day.
Kashmir is divided between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan. Since 1947, the neighbors have fought two wars over its control, after British rule of the subcontinent ended with the creation of the two countries. Both claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety.
In 2019, the Indian-controlled part of the region was divided into two territories, Ladakh and Jammu-Kashmir, ruled directly by New Delhi. The region has been on edge since it lost its flag, criminal code, constitution and inherited protections on land and jobs.
Multiple pro-India Kashmiri parties, many of whose leaders were among thousands jailed in 2019, are contesting the election, promising to reverse those changes. Some lower-rung separatist leaders, who in the past dismissed polls as illegitimate exercises under military occupation, are also running for office as independent candidates.
India’s main opposition Congress party, which favors restoration of the region’s statehood, has formed an alliance with the National Conference, the region’s largest party. Modi’s BJP has a strong political base in Hindu-dominated areas of Jammu that largely favor the 2019 changes but is weak in the Kashmir Valley, the heartland of anti-India rebellion.
“Our main concern is governance through local representatives. It will be good for us if the BJP forms the government here as it’s already in power at the center,” said Chuni Lal, a shopkeeper in Jammu city.
The vote will see a limited transition of power from New Delhi to the local assembly, with a chief minister at the top heading a council of ministers. But Kashmir will continue to be a “Union Territory” — a region directly controlled by the federal government — with India’s Parliament remaining its main legislator.
The elected government will have partial control over areas like education, culture and taxation but not over the police. Kashmir’s statehood must be restored for the new government to have powers similar to other states in India. However, it will not have the special powers it enjoyed before the 2019 changes.
Last year, India’s Supreme Court endorsed the government’s 2019 changes but ordered New Delhi to conduct local polls by the end of September and restore Kashmir’s statehood. Modi’s government has promised to restore statehood after the polls but has not specified a timeline.
Elections in Indian-held Kashmir have remained a sensitive issue. Many believe they have been rigged multiple times in favor of local politicians who subsequently became India’s regional enforcers, used to incrementally dilute laws that offered Kashmir a special status and legitimize New Delhi’s militaristic policies.
In the mid-1980s, the region’s dissident political groups emerged as a formidable force against Kashmir’s pro-India political elite but lost the 1987 election widely believed to have been rigged. A public backlash followed, with some young activists taking up arms and demanding a united Kashmir, either under Pakistani rule or independent of both.
India insists the insurgency is Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, a charge Islamabad denies. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the fighting, which most Kashmiri Muslims consider a legitimate freedom struggle.
Noor Ahmed Baba, a political scientist, said the outcome of the polls “is not going to change the dynamics of the Kashmir dispute” since it will end with a largely powerless legislature, but will be crucial for optics.
“If local parties win, it is going to put some pressure on the central government and perhaps delegitimize from a democratic perspective what has been done to Kashmir. But a BJP win can allow the party to consolidate and validate 2019 changes in the local legislature,” Baba said.
India’s ruling BJP is not officially aligned with any local party, but many politicians believe it is tacitly supporting some parties and independent candidates who privately agree with its stances.
The National Conference party says Modi’s BJP is trying to manipulate the election through independent candidates. “Their (BJP’s) concerted effort is to divide the vote in Kashmir,” said Tanvir Sadiq, a candidate from the National Conference.
The BJP’s national secretary, meanwhile, says his party’s former ally, the Peoples Democratic Party, and the National Conference are being supported by former militants. Ram Madhav said at a recent rally that they want to return the region to its “trouble-filled days.”
For residents whose civil liberties have been curbed, the election is also a chance to choose representatives they hope will address their main issues.
Many say that while the election won’t solve the dispute over Kashmir, it will give them a rare window to express their frustration with Indian control.
“We need some relief and end of bureaucratic rule here,” said Rafiq Ahmed, a taxi driver in the region’s main city of Srinagar.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) party workers attend a rally, ahead of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections in Jammu, India, Saturday Sep.7, 2024.(AP Photo/Channi Anand, File)
Former union minster and star campaigner of BJP Anurag Thakur and state in charge Ram Madhav wave to supporters during a campaign rally, after party candidates filed the nomination papers for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections at Nagrota outskirts of Jammu, India, Thursday, Sep.12, 2024.(AP Photo/Channi Anand, File)
Supporters of India's opposition Congress party, wave during an election rally at Dooru some 78 kilometers (49 miles) south of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir,Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan, File)
Supporters of Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) leader Sheikh Abdul Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid, attend a public rally at Baramulla, some 55 kilometers (34 miles) north of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan, File)
Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) leader Sheikh Abdul Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid, speaks during a public rally at Baramulla, some 55 kilometers (34 miles) north of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan, File)
Policemen stop supporters of National Conference Party from accompanying their candidate during the filing of nomination papers for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections in Jammu, India, Sept.10, 2024. (AP Photo/Channi Anand, File)
Supporters listen as India's opposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi, unseen, speaks during an election rally at Dooru some 78 kilometers south of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan, FILE)
Supporters of India's opposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi, shout slogans during an election rally at Dooru, some 78 kilometers south of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Sept. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan, File)
People watch from a window during a road show of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Arif Laigroo, in Srinagar, Indian-controlled Kashmir Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan, File)
National Conference (NC) President Farooq Abdullah, center, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mehbooba Mufti, second right, and other leaders sit during an all parties meeting on restoration of the special status that was stripped last year from Indian-administered Kashmir, in Srinagar, India. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan, File)
A child looks on as Indian policemen frisk Kashmiri pedestrians during a surprise security check in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, Jan. 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan, File)
Indian security forces walk past Indian flags and flags of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as a motorcycle rally by BJP youth wing to the Kargil War Memorial passes through Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, July 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan, File)
Kashmiris shout slogans during a protest after Friday prayers against the abrogation of article 370, on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Friday, Oct. 4, 2019.(AP Photo/ Dar Yasin, File)
A masked protester throws stone at Indian security forces during a protest after Eid prayers in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Saturday, June 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin, File)
Kashmiris sit outside closed shops painted with graffiti during a curfew in central Srinagar, India, Thursday, Sept. 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin, File)
