The Chargers are on a three-game win streak entering Week 11.
After a win over the Titans at home, the Bolts now gear up for back-to-back primetime games at SoFi Stadium, starting Sunday night against the Bengals.
NFL analysts and publications have released their weekly power rankings. Take a look at where the Bolts are ranked as they enter Week 11.
No. 9: Pete Prisco – CBS Sports (Last Week: No. 10)
They can run it, throw it and play defense. Oh, they also have a great coach. This team will be dangerous come playoff time.
No. 9: Conor Orr – Sports Illustrated (Last Week: No. 11)
[Justin Herbert] has gone from a top-third sacked player in the NFL to a middle-tier sacked player. That has to make a difference.
No. 10: Eric Edholm – NFL.com (Last Week: No. 12)
When it comes to wins, the Chargers have a type. They've scored between 22 and 27 points in each of their six victories, allowing 17 or fewer in all of them. The Titans scored late to hit 17, but the Chargers really choked them out in the second half with two long, draining touchdown drives and two quality stops on defense. The Bolts' formula isn't tricky, but it is effective. Defensively, Jesse Minter remains a prodigy, coordinating a smothering effort with two rookies starting at corner. The Chargers had seven sacks, and that was with Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa playing limited roles. Justin Herbert overcame what looked like a strip sack run back for a score before officials got the replay fix right. He played another composed game and was creative as a scrambler. The return of Gus Edwards also gave this offense a boost. Efficient ball all around, once again. It's arguable the Chargers haven't beaten a great team yet, but they have to be a pain to face off against.
No. 10: Josh Kendall – The Athletic (Last Week: No. 15)
QB confidence rating: 8
Justin Herbert's numbers aren't flashy, but he might be your favorite quarterback evaluator's favorite quarterback. Herbert threw 18 passes Sunday but rolled up a 123.1 passer rating and is now sixth in that category among qualified passes (103.2).
Take a look back at the Chargers Week 10 matchup with the Titans in monochrome!
No. 10: BR NFL Staff – Bleacher Report (Last Week: No. 13)
[Jim Harbaugh] has quickly forged a squad that, when healthy, has few real weaknesses. The defense is elite, the running game is above average, and quarterback Justin Herbert is thriving as a high-end game-manager.
With both Quentin Johnston and Ladd McConkey emerging as reliable receivers, the Chargers have become a well-balanced, well-coached team and talented enough that no one should want to see them in January.
No. 11: NFL Nation, Kris Rhim – ESPN (Last Week: No. 13)
Non-QB MVP: Running back J.K. Dobbins
Dobbins has been the Chargers' most impactful offseason signing, giving L.A. its best rushing offense since the days of LaDainian Tomlinson. After suffering a season-ending Achilles rupture in Week 1 of last season, Dobbins is having one of the best years of his career. Coach Jim Harbaugh has used postgame news conferences to campaign for Dobbins to be the Comeback Player of the Year. He is up to 670 yards and six touchdowns this season, which both rank in the NFL's top 10.
No. 11: Vinnie Iyer – Sporting News (Last Week: No. 13)
The Chargers have seen Justin Herbert get into a downfield passing groove to support the strong rushing attack, which also makes things easier on the defense.
No. 12: Mike Florio – Pro Football Talk (Last Week: No. 14)
The Chargers will be a tough out in the playoffs.
Get an inside look at the postgame celebration from the Bolts 26-8 win over the New Orleans Saints at SoFi Stadium.
No. 13: Diante Lee – The Ringer (Last Week: No. 14)
One part of the improvement in Justin Herbert's play this season is certainly because he's gotten healthier, but if you watched him play on Sunday, you saw a quarterback unafraid of throwing his body around, and maybe one that kind of likes to get hit now. Herbert's involvement in the offense as a scrambler takes a great deal of strain off the receivers and offensive line, and Los Angeles hasn't gone overboard in how much they're using him as a runner, either. Even if this offense isn't putting up sexy numbers on a weekly basis, the approach is why they're controlling games.
There's a rough patch of the schedule coming up, with Baltimore, Cincinnati, Atlanta, and Kansas City over the next month. If this team can score enough to keep pace in those games, they could become the AFC team nobody will want to play come January.
No. 13: Frank Schwab – Yahoo Sports (Last Week: No. 13)
The Chargers' next four games are vs. Bengals, vs. Ravens, at Falcons, at Chiefs. About the only bad thing to say about the Chargers is they don't have any quality wins aside from one at Denver. They have a chance to change that over the next month.
No. 13: Nate Davis – USA Today (Last Week: No. 17)
The league's stingiest defense – it hasn't allowed more than 20 points in a game – is about to get stern tests with the high-powered Bengals and Ravens headed to SoCal the next two weeks for prime-time showcases.