Derwin James Jr. said all week that 11 was better than 10, which was precisely how the Chargers approached their regular-season finale against the Raiders on Sunday in Las Vegas. He and his teammates and the coaching staff made it clear they were playing to win Sunday.

It didn’t seem to matter to them that they might be locked into the sixth-seeded spot in the AFC, rendering their game against the Raiders almost meaningless. It also didn’t seem matter that they could move up to fifth if they win and the Cincinnati Bengals defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday.

The Chargers’ stated goal was to beat the Raiders and win their 11th game.

Anything else was out of their hands, as James said.

“I can just control what I can control,” he said. “I have no control over any of those other scenarios. My job is to come out here and get better, get my teammates better. I’m just focused on getting to 11 wins. Eleven wins sounds better than 10 wins. Just trying to control what I can control.”

James wasn’t alone in his thinking.

“Dog mentality. Gotta have it. Can’t start thinking about the ‘ifs, ands and buts,’” Chargers outside linebacker Khalil Mack said. “You’ve got to create your own lane, your own path. Coach (Jim) Harbaugh has that mindset and that way it’s from top to bottom. Nobody’s worried about who’s going to play … just go out and win.”

Harbaugh said the Chargers would take Week 18 “one day at a time.”

There are two ways to look at a regular-season finale when a team is locked into a playoff seeding and cannot move up or down. First, the team could rest its starters and try to avoid injuries to key players. Second, a team could play to win and keep its confidence high and momentum rolling.

The Chargers learned a hard lesson two years ago when then-coach Brandon Staley played his regulars during what turned out to be a meaningless game against the Denver Broncos in Week 18. Moments before the kickoff in Denver, the Chargers learned they were locked into the No. 5 seed.

Wide receiver Mike Williams then suffered a small fracture in his back in the second half against the Broncos and was unable to play against the Jacksonville Jaguars in an AFC wild-card game the following weekend, a critical loss for the team, as it turned out.

The Chargers missed Williams’ ability to catch short passes from quarterback Justin Herbert and they were deprived of a sound ball-control offense after building a 27-0 lead in the second quarter. The Chargers managed only a field goal in the second half as Jacksonville rallied for a 31-30 victory.

It’s a moment frozen in time, one unlikely to be repeated under the new regime.

“We’re playing to move up,” Harbaugh said earlier in the week. “We’d love to be in the fifth seed. That gives you a chance to have a playoff game at home. Even in the divisional round at home and the championship game at home. That’s where things stand for us. We’re playing to win.”

No matter where the Chargers stand in the playoff picture by Sunday’s kickoff, outside linebacker Joey Bosa would like to play something close to his customary number of snaps. It doesn’t have to be every last one of them, but he’d like to be out there playing as a tune-up for what’s to come.

Bosa sat out three games earlier this season because of a hip injury. He also was sidelined for most of training camp because of a broken hand that required surgery. Overall, he’s played roughly 50% of the defensive snaps during his 13 games played this season, including nine starts.