EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Jim Harbaugh may have made NFL history Sunday when he chose a Gordon Lightfoot song to celebrate the Los Angeles Chargers’ 27-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans.

And yet, given Harbaugh’s relentless efforts to motivate and instill mental toughness in his team, it made sense.

After the Chargers earned their third straight victory to improve to 6-3, Harbaugh played “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” in the locker room for two reasons. Sunday marked the 49th anniversary of the freighter sinking on Lake Superior that claimed the lives of 29 crew members, and Lightfoot’s 1976 folk ballad carries some subtle themes that Harbaugh wanted to reinforce.

Starting this week against Cincinnati, the Chargers are about to enter a rough sea that will determine the team’s playoff fortunes.

Harbaugh hopes his team can continue to be the storm and not the ship over the next six games.

“There’s symbolism, but it’s just for us,” Harbaugh said of the song by the Canadian singer-songwriter, who died last year at age 84.

After facing Joe Burrow and Cincinnati on Sunday night, the Chargers will host Lamar Jackson and Baltimore in a Monday night matchup on Nov. 25 that will also be the third meeting between Harbaugh and his older brother John, the Ravens coach.

December opens with trips to Atlanta and Kansas City, followed by home games against Tampa Bay and Denver.

“These games just show you who you are, competitively and especially from a mental standpoint. You have the strength of the offense on their side with the quarterback. Just make sure we’re clicking on all cylinders,” linebacker Khalil Mack said. “But we can’t go too far ahead of ourselves.”

The key to the Chargers’ four-game winning streak has been complementary football.

Quarterback Justin Herbert has gone seven straight games without an interception. He is also the seventh quarterback since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, and the first since Philip Rivers in 2018, to have a passer rating of at least 90 in each of the first nine games of the season.

The defense — which is allowing a league-low 13.1 points per game — is the fourth since 1990 and first since the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013 to allow 20 points or fewer in each of its first nine games.

Harbaugh thinks this next stretch won’t mark success for the Chargers. Instead, he envisions his team on the leisurely road to a playoff appearance.

“I know who we are and what we are. I know our guys are, they’re going to be in the rhythm of the fight. It’s a big challenge this week, but I know our guys are not afraid of any challenge or any new challenge,” he said.

What works

The pass rush. The Chargers have sacked Tennessee’s Will Levis seven times and have had back-to-back games with six or more sacks, the first time Los Angeles has done that since 2006. Tuli Tuipulotu, who had two sacks, has 5 1/2 to his last three games. , which is the highest number in the league since week 8.

What needs help

Prevent late scores. The Chargers have allowed 20 points in the final minute in their last five games, including touchdowns in the last two against Cleveland and Tennessee. The Bolts are the 13th team since 2000 to allow 118 points or fewer in their first nine games, but if they had avoided the late scores of the last two weeks, they would be at 104, which would be the sixth fewest scores since 2000.

Store

RB Gus Edwards, who had 55 yards on 10 carries after missing four games with an ankle injury. The duo of Edwards and JK Dobbins, along with a second-half lead, gave the Chargers a win on 39 of 57 plays. The 68.4% scoring rate was the fifth highest by an NFL team this season and the Chargers’ highest since a 2007 game against Detroit in which they went on 53 of 75 plays (70, 7%) in a 51-14 victory.

Stock falling

CB Ja’Sir Taylor was targeted once and gave up a reception, but it was a big reception: Calvin Ridley’s 41-yard touchdown in the first quarter. It was the first time an opposing offense scored against the Chargers on an opening drive this season.

Injuries

CB Kristian Fulton (hamstring) and OG Trey Pipkins (ankle) were inactive Sunday. It was the second straight game Fulton missed. LB Khalil Mack (groin) was limited to four snaps.

Key figures

70 – Career sacks for Joey Bosa. His takedown of Levis in the third quarter made Bosa the second player in franchise history to reach that milestone. Leslie O’Neal is the franchise leader with 105 1/2.

11 — Games by Herbert with a passing and running touchdown.

1,772 — Herbert’s completed career, the most by an NFL player in his first five seasons. He surpassed Derek Carr (1,759) with a 5-yard pass to Will Dissly in the first quarter.

What’s next

The Chargers have won their last three games against the Bengals, including both times Burrow was Cincinnati’s starting quarterback.