3. James leads the way on defense

It wasn’t just the Bolts’ offense that turned heads on Saturday.

The Chargers defense was ready from the get-go as the unit swarmed the Patriots throughout the game.

“We played great,” Tuipulotu said. “Going into this game, we wanted to play a complete game and I feel like we did that as a defense.”

The defense got off to a poor start, allowing just six total yards on New England’s first six plays.

“We all agree,” Kristian Fulton said. “If we communicate and the guys talk before the snap, we can play fast and physical. We wanted to set the tone early and I feel like we did that.”

From there, James took the lead as he had a masterful performance with two sacks and a fumble recovery.

The Bolts’ do-it-all safety had half of the team’s four sacks, as did Tuipulotu and Mack each had one.

“Blitzing Derwin worked,” Fox said with a laugh. “Having a weapon like DJ where you can send someone down at any time without getting blocked is huge. When we started to apply pressure and attack, the boys won across the board.”

Harbaugh said of James: “He does it every single game.”

James, who has become a lethal player in his top role, set the tone early and often for the Bolts on Saturday.

“(They) just wanted me to be on the ball and wreak havoc,” James said. “I feel like my teammates in the secondary did a great job of covering me so I could get the sacks and other guys holding down the edge so I could get the sacks. There’s a lot of team ball out there.”

Overall, the unit allowed just 181 yards and 11 first downs, both their second-lowest totals of the season following a Week 2 win over the Panthers.