The Chargers are now 10-6 after they trounced the Patriots with a 40-7 win on Saturday.

Here are five takeaways from Week 17.

1. Chargers clinch a playoff berth

Step 1 is complete.

The Chargers clinched a playoff berth Saturday as they walloped the Patriots with a 40-7 road win.

"I can't wait for our new season to begin," Derwin James, Jr. said in a joyous postgame locker room.

Justin Herbert added: "It's a testament to all the hard work we put in this offseason. The way things have gone, it's been an honor to play alongside this team. We had a huge opportunity today and we went out and took it."

Tuli Tuipulotu said: "Great vibes. We're always happy with the win but we're extra happy that we clinched today."

The lopsided win ensured that the Bolts would make the playoffs in Year 1 under Jim Harbaugh, but the Chargers Head Coach deflected the credit to his players.

"There's no coach who could have it better than coaching these players. Nobody," Harbaugh quipped. "Maybe the only one would be future [me]."

Either way, it's been clear for awhile that the first season of Chargers General Manager Joe Hortiz and Harbaugh has been a resounding success after the group took over a five-win team in January.

"They've done such a great job of getting the right guys here," Herbert said. "You look in that locker room and everyone plays for each other."

The Chargers knew all week that they would clinch a postseason spot with a win in New England.

They pounced early, dominating on both sides of the ball on the way to their largest margin of victory since a 35-point win during the 2019 season.

All in all, the Bolts outgained the Patriots by nearly 250 yards as they turned a double-digit halftime lead into a rout over the final two quarters.

"All three phases showed up today and that's the type of football we want to be playing in December and January and hopefully on," Herbert said. "Especially in these big games, that's what you want to see."

Morgan Fox added: "At the end of the day, it's what you play for. Now you take this group to the dance and see what we can do in the playoffs."

The Chargers ended the game in the No. 6 spot but could still end up as either the fifth, sixth or seventh seed depending on outcomes of other games.

The Bolts are at the Raiders in Week 18. The date and time for that game is still be to be determined.

Harbaugh and his players said postgame there is more on the horizon for this group.

"The antidote for complacency is great leadership and that's what our players have given us," Harbaugh said. "Now it's onward and keep grinding.

"Keep tightening up as we move forward, that's our mission now," Harbaugh added. "11 [wins] sounds better than 10 so now we're going to go get ourselves prepared for our next game."

Bradley Bozeman added: "We know we're going to the playoffs and we're playing in the first round, but that's all we're promised. Go in and get back to work."

2. Offense rolls past Pats

Greg Roman said last week that he thought the Bolts offense was starting to peak at the right time.

Turns out the Chargers Offensive Coordinator was spot on with his foreshadowing.

"We had a great plan," Herbert said. "All week, we knew how big of a game this was for us and guys were dialed in, focused. We executed today and it was awesome to see."

The Bolts offense produced perhaps their best outing of the season Saturday as they set season bests in multiple categories.

Points? Yep. The Bolts previous high was 34 at home against both the Bengals and Broncos.

First downs? Check. The Chargers had 27 of them, topping their previous best of 24.

Time of possession? The Chargers held the ball for a whopping 40 minutes and 34 seconds on Saturday.

Total yards? The Bolts had 428, just seven shy of their season high.

The Chargers were also money on third downs, converting 10 of 17 tries for a stellar 58.8 percent success rate.

"We definitely put it together today, for sure," Bozeman said.

Ladd McConkey set a pair of franchise rookie records and Herbert led the way with a dominating performance in which he threw for 281 yards and three scores while making history in the process.

Herbert surpassed 20,619 career passing yards in the first half Saturday, which passed Hall of Famer Peyton Manning for the most in NFL history through the first five seasons of a career.

Herbert also threw a pair of touchdowns in the opening half in New England and became just the third player in NFL history with 3,000 passing yards and 20 passing touchdowns in each of his first five pro seasons.

"Justin Herbert played a near flawless game," Harbaugh said.

He later added: "I can't think of one play or one throw or one check that he made … just an incredible performance by an incredible player."

3. James leads the way for defense

It wasn't just the Bolts offense that was lights out Saturday.

The Chargers defense showed up ready to go from the opening snap as the unit swarmed the Patriots all game long.

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

The defense got off to a red-shot start by allowing just six total yards on New England's first six plays.

"All of us just being on the same page," Kristian Fulton said. "When we communicate and guys are talking pre snap, it allows us to play fast and play physical. We wanted to set the tone early and I feel like we did that."

James took over from there as he had a masterful performance with a pair of sacks and a fumble recovery.

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

"Blitzing Derwin was working," Fox said with a laugh. "Having a weapon like DJ, anytime you can send somebody down and not get blocked, it's huge. Once we started bringing pressure and rushing, guys were winning across the board."

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

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

"[They] just wanted me around the ball and cause havoc," James said. "I feel like my teammates did a great job covering in the secondary so I could get the sacks, and other guys holding the edge so I could get the sacks. A lot of team ball out there."

Overall, the unit allowed just 181 total yards and 11 first downs, both marks that are the second-lowest totals of the season behind a Week 2 win over the Panthers.

4. Harbaugh gets aggressive on 4th downs

In recent weeks, Harbaugh had decided to punt on fourth down twice while in opposing territory.

He flipped the script Saturday, crediting a strong day from the Chargers offensive line for giving him the belief to keep the offense on the field.

"We've got No. 10 back there. And the way the offensive line was performing, the big guys up front getting the job done," Harbaugh said. "They were handling their man, they're handling the movement, they're handling the games and the twists.

"Our guys executed at a super high level, so yeah, that gave me a lot of confidence that Justin was getting the protection," Harbaugh added. "If he can finish the throwing motion then I know that the ball is going to be thrown accurately."

The Bolts first went for it on fourth-and-3 from the Patriots 42-yard line late in the first quarter.

Herbert found Quentin Johnston for 19 yards to move the sticks as Derius Davis caught a 19-yard score on the very next play.

Harbaugh also kept his offense on the field in the waning moments of the first half.

With the Bolts up 17-7, they had fourth-and-3 from the Patriots 44. Once again, Herbert had time and found Stone Smartt through the air for a first down. The Chargers later kicked a field goal, one of four makes on the day for Cameron Dicker.

Overall, the Chargers converted both of their fourth-down tries Saturday, which led to 10 points.

"When you go for it on fourth down and get it every time, it shows the offense the trust he has in us," Bozeman said.

Harbaugh added: "I thought that was the best offensive line play we've had the entire season."

5. Dobbins scores in return

J.K. Dobbins showed his perseverance one again.

The Chargers running back got back in the action Saturday after missing the past four games with a knee injury he suffered back in Week 12 against Baltimore.

The Bolts activated Dobbins off Injured Reserve on Friday.

"I felt great. It was a good day," Dobbins said. "Got to get better, but it was a great day."

Dobbins was both efficient and explosive in his first game back as he finished with 76 yards on 19 carries with a long of 13 yards.

Dobbins also punctuated his return with a 2-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.

"He brings so much energy to our run game and he's great out of the backfield in the pass game," Herbert said. "And one of the most underappreciated aspects of his game is [pass] protection. He does such a great job on third down picking up blitzes and he knows exactly what he's doing."

Dobbins' return helped the Bolts run for 147 yards against the Patriots. In the four games Dobbins missed, the Bolts averaged roughly 75 rushing yards per game.

"Really proud of J.K. Dobbins … and everything he's overcome," Harbaugh said.