With the regular season officially in the books, the road to the New Orleans now begins for 14 teams.
For the Chargers, it starts Saturday as they prepare to travel to Houston to take on the Texans in the battle between No. 4 and No. 5 seeds.
But how could the Bolts make their way to Super Bowl?
The MMQB's Albert Breer took a deep dive of each playoff team, with insights from league executives to help preview the 2024 playoffs and lay out how they could win it all.
How the Bolts could win it all was simple for Breer — continue with the formula that helped them win 11 games in Head Coach Jim Harbaugh's first season at the helm.
Breer wrote:
Why they'll win it all: For a first-year group, the new Chargers regime has a roster that still needs improvement but has found balance. "They can run it, they don't turn it over, they have a formula that wins," said one exec. "And then, they have they have [Justin] Herbert." The Jim Harbaugh formula has, sure enough, carried over, in a tough, physical, resourceful and well-coached team that won't beat itself, and doesn't have many holes (even if, again, there are areas where they'll keep seeking better answers).
Get an inside look at the postgame celebration from the Bolts 34-20 win over the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.
The Chargers finished with tied for the third-best turnover differential in the league (+12), and a big part of it included being careful with the football on offense. Their nine giveaways were the second-fewest in the NFL during the regular season.
The Bolts were also opportunistic on both sides of the ball ... and have a handful of players that could make game-changing plays.
The MMQB analyst laid out a couple of players on both sides of the ball that could be X-factors in a Bolts playoff run and flip the outcome in their favor.
Breer wrote:
They have a few. Derwin James Jr. is certainly one — he does a little bit of everything for Jesse Minter's defense, and finding him is the first job presnap for any quarterback. J.K. Dobbins is another. He juices a power run game that requires a decisive runner, with the linemen in tight splits and moving downhill. And Ladd McConkey, who's become the team's No. 1, and a trusted Herbert target in tight spots, would be a third.
He also identified an under the radar player who could make a big difference for the team, as he's coming off quite the second season.
Breer wrote:
Coming into the year, Harbaugh and Minter knew the strength of the defense would rely on James and the edge rushers. What they didn't know is that Tuli Tuipulotu would be on the level of Mack and Joey Bosa — but he's right there, in the midst of an 8.5-sack season.
Browse through live action photos of the Bolts Week 18 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium
Tuipulotu finished with the most sacks on the team and the second-most total pressures (40) according to Pro Football Focus, behind only Mack.
He's been a great compliment to Mack and Bosa, who are back in the postseason for the second time as teammates.
And it leads into the MMQB analysts' final question that could be a difference maker — how will Mack and Bosa change the unit in January?
How the pair of veteran edge rushers perform is the biggest question for Breer as the Chargers begin their run in the postseason.
Breer wrote:
Mack and Bosa aren't what they used to be. But they're savvy, instinctive and experienced enough to know how to get themselves to the postseason. So, will those two be able to summon a different level of play in the playoffs? Or will their age (Mack's in Year 11, Bosa's in Year 9) show?
