If the Chargers hadn't caught the attention of those around the league yet, Sunday's dominant win surely did.
Through nine weeks of the season, Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh and Co. have the Bolts rolling at 5-3 and in the thick of the AFC playoff race at the halfway point.
And they're beginning to remind NFL pundits of other teams Harbaugh has led.
Sports Illustrated's Senior Writer Albert Breer kicked off Week 9 takeaways with a closer look at the Bolts and why he believes the team looks "very familiar" to Harbaugh's teams from the past.
Breer wrote:
It's what Harbaugh's done everywhere he's been — and is doing again in Los Angeles.
Sunday's 27–10 rout of the Cleveland Browns was just more evidence of what's been quietly developing along over the past few months. The Chargers didn't run all over Cleveland, but J.K. Dobbins was effective when he needed to be, churning out 85 yards, and scoring on runs of 16 and seven yards. Justin Herbert only threw 27 times, but was incredibly efficient with his opportunities. And as long been the case, Harbaugh also has a kickass defense.
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 9 matchup with the Browns in monochrome!
His Sports Illustrated colleague, Gilberto Manzano, had similar feels after watching the Bolts win in Cleveland.
Manzano listed the Chargers as one of his “winners” of Week 9, particularly Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman and the offensive coaching staff that has the unit continuing to progress week by week.
It starts with Herbert, who has been on fire through the air since the Week 4 bye week and had a 282-yard, two-touchdown game.
The Bolts are quickly becoming a big threat in the AFC, according to Manzano, and Sunday was another example of it.
Manzano wrote:
Harbaugh has quickly turned the Chargers into a team no one will want to face come December and January… Herbert has quietly been one of the best quarterbacks in the league the past month and seems to be getting better now that he has a strong grasp for Roman's scheme. Herbert, who has only one interception this season, has averaged 286.8 passing yards in the past four games.
Some wondered whether Roman was too conservative for a quarterback as gifted as Herbert. But that notion can end because Herbert has attempted at least 27 passes in five consecutive games. He might have had more passing attempts last week against the Browns, but the Chargers were up 20–3 by halftime in a game where they had total command. Beware of the Chargers, AFC contenders.
When the Harbaugh era began in Los Angeles, there was no secret the team wanted to be a physical, tough team in all facets.
And to Breer, it sure is looking like that's the case so far.
Breer wrote:
And it all fits into this big picture Harbaugh is painting once again, with a rock-solid defense complementing a physical, run-game-driven offense, with a smart, efficient quarterback at the controls.
That's the vision, and genius of Harbaugh, even if you might see it a different way… And it looks like the tougher team most weeks, once again, is the one coached by Harbaugh.
