It was an instant classic at SoFi Stadium on Sunday night.
The Bolts were able to come away with a thrilling 34-27 win over the Bengals under the lights to get their fourth-straight win and move to 7-3 on the year.
It was a win that had many impressed with what the Bolts are building.
In his weekly “Pick Six” column, The Athletic's Mike Sando examined the five AFC contenders with seven or more victories — the Bills, Chiefs, Steelers, Ravens and Chargers.
And he had high praise for the work Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh has done up to this point in his first year with the team.
While the upcoming games will tell him a lot about the Chargers in terms of this season, he trusts the direction the team is going under Harbaugh.
Sando wrote:
Are the Chargers truly contenders? I see them as a team in the process — not quite there, but closer than they've been in years, and headed in the right direction under a coach who knows how to get them there.
They are 7-3, and if their 27-6 lead over the Bengals had not turned into a 34-27 fire drill complete with two missed Cincinnati field goal tries when the score was tied in the final eight minutes, we might be using exclamation points instead of question marks…
It's too early to know how far these Chargers might advance. They still must play Kansas City and Baltimore, plus an improved Denver team. In the meantime, we trust the Harbaugh process.
Get an inside look at the postgame celebration from the Bolts 34-27 win over the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium.
Harbaugh and his staff have the Bolts right in the middle of the AFC playoff race and has transformed the team in just Year 1.
It's why CBS Sports' John Breech also came away with a similar takeaway as Sando following the Week 11 win.
Breech handed the Chargers a ‘B grade’ for the victory, as he believes the win exemplified the type of team that is being built in Los Angeles.
Breech wrote:
If it wasn't clear before, it should be now: Jim Harbaugh has completely changed the culture for this team. The Chargers were once known for Chargering and after watching a 27-6 lead melt away in the second half, it looked like it might happen again, but this team showed it's resilience. Justin Herbert bounced back from a rough second half to lead a game-winning TD drive in the final minute that was capped by J.K. Dobbins. Although he got bottled up for most of the night, Dobbins was able to escape for a game-winning 29-yard TD. Defensively, the Chargers kept constant pressure on Joe Burrow that led to three sacks and several erratic throws from the Bengals QB. This was the type of win that proves Harbaugh is ushering in a new era of Chargers football.
The go-ahead score was provided by Dobbins, who added another chapter to his already impressive first season back from injury.
The 25-year-old running back added two more touchdowns Sunday night and is already approaching his career-high for rushing yards in a season.
One of NFL.com's Grant Gordon's takeaways?
Dobbins' performance on Sunday night has him right in the middle of the race for the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year award.
Gordon wrote:
This was another big one on Dobbins' comeback tour. He's showed his worth as the Chargers' lead back this season -- though Herbert's 65 rushing yards led the Bolts -- and next week, when so much attention will be paid to Jim Harbaugh facing off against brother John, Dobbins will play his former team, the Baltimore Ravens, on Monday night. Dobbins enters the game having already surpassed the 542 rushing yards he totaled in two injury-riddled seasons with Baltimore from 2022-23. He has a very good shot of passing his rookie career-best of 805 yards next week. Dobbins will no doubt be running on high for that one, certainly after his Sunday showing.
