Chargers Power Rankings Roundup: Bolts see rise after win over Saints - Bolts From The Blue

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The Chargers got back over .500 which led to a bump in this week’s rankings.

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The Chargers avoided dropping below .500 with a 26-8 win over the Saints on Sunday. At 4-3, the Bolts are now currently the seventh seed in the playoffs were the season to end today. Up next, they’ve got a date with a Browns team that looked refreshed with a change at quarterback.

Let’s go ahead and see where the team’s latest win has them positioned in this week’s power rankings.

The Chargers’ post-Brandon Staley identity was certainly not one I would have predicted. Sans Mike Williams and Keenan Allen, the stars of this team are the drone-like Ladd McConkey and the absolutely horrifying 300-pound fullback, Scott Matlock. Staley knew this team had to be tougher but struggled to find the right fits for these pieces. The Chargers are not perfect but they’re starting to make some sense. This week’s Browns matchup, with the surging Broncos also facing a difficult test, is quietly fascinating. Conor Orr

Granted, it came against a New Orleans Saints team that has completely imploded. But on Sunday at SoFi Stadium, the Los Angeles Chargers played maybe their most balanced offensive game of the year.

On the ground, the Chargers logged 122 yards on 29 carries. For the second straight week, the passing game was more effective, with quarterback Justin Herbert rebounding from a slow start to throw for 279 yards and a pair of touchdown passes to rookie Ladd McConkey.

In the postgame presser, Herbert told reporters that he believes the Chargers are still fine-tuning their offensive identity.

“I think it’s all about finding our identity. Going into a game and playing it the way it needs to be played,” Herbert said. “If we’re throwing the ball a bunch, it’s all about being smart with the ball, taking our shots downfield and understanding the situation. We believe that we got a great offensive line and a great run game, so it’s on us to be able to put those together.”

Analyst’s Take

“The Chargers offense is a different animal when it can actually stretch the field with wide receivers. They were able to do that with a healthy McConkey on Sunday, and I expect to see continued offensive growth once Quentin Johnston (ankle) returns to the lineup. If head coach Jim Harbaugh can marry even an average offense to the league’s top-ranked scoring defense, Los Angeles should be relevant over the second half of the season.”

“However, I still believe L.A. is a year away from being a contender. The closest thing the Chargers have to a quality win has come against the Broncos—and the jury is still very much out on Denver. Still, the Chargers might not need to be great to slip into the postseason. They’ll have a chance to pad their record with upcoming games against the Browns, Titans and Bengals.” - BR NFL Staff

The No. 6 pick in the 2020 draft, the player who has one of the strongest arms in the NFL, is 22nd in the league in attempts. We knew Harbaugh would play this way, and who’s to argue with Los Angeles in the playoff race, but it still feels like we’re being robbed of something. Four times this season, Herbert has been under 180 yards passing. It gets even worse if you look at air yards per target (7.8), where he ranks 16th. Let the big boy throw the ball and throw it deep! - Josh Kendall

I can’t believe I actually find myself considering this, but things are shaping up perfectly for the Chargers to make the playoffs in Jim Harbaugh’s first year as head coach, even if the offense still doesn’t look quite right. Quarterback Justin Herbert’s passing volume has been up in recent weeks, which has helped prevent teams from loading up the box as much as they were early this season, but it’s been difficult for Herbert to take advantage of that because of how limited the Chargers receivers are. The Chargers want to be a run-first team, but their down-to-down rushing efficiency is still near the bottom of the league, and that leaves them in impossibly hard passing situations.

The saving grace here is that Jesse Minter has arguably been the best defensive play caller in the league through the first half of the season, and his unit has done an incredible job of getting off the field and giving the offense enough chances to score points. Overall, the Chargers are still tough to watch, but it’s almost admirable that this style of play is working. - Diante Lee

At 4-3, the defense has really come up big for this group. The good thing about the offense is Justin Herbert is starting to throw it around more. - Pete Prisco

After the Chargers’ win over the Saints, coach Jim Harbaugh used his news conference to campaign for Dobbins as the NFL Comeback Player of the Year. “If I am the first to nominate him, then so be it,” Harbaugh said. After an Achilles tear ended Dobbins’ season in Week 1 last year, he has been one of the league’s best running backs. He is sixth in the NFL in rushing yards per game (76.4) and is tied for sixth in rushes of 10-plus yards (14). — Kris Rhim

What a difference scoring touchdowns can make. - Mike Florio

They’re getting nice returns from their rookie class. Per Next Gen Stats, RT Joe Alt didn’t concede one pressure on 38 pass-blocking plays Sunday, tied for the best showing by a rook in the past three seasons. Meanwhile WR Ladd McConkey’s six-catch, 111-yard, two-TD game might have cemented him as QB Justin Herbert’s primary target for years to come. McConkey’s 100-yard day was the first by a Bolts rookie in 11 years. - Nate Davis

The four teams the Chargers have beaten: Raiders, Panthers, Broncos, Saints. Maybe the Broncos is a quality win. Otherwise, all we see from the Chargers is they can beat bad teams. Perhaps that’s enough to stay in the wild-card race. - Frank Schwab