Take a look at where various NFL analysts and publications have the Bolts ranked heading into their Week 12 matchup with the Denver Broncos.
Pete Prisco:
"Now that Justin Herbert is back throwing it around, they can play with anybody. The coaches wised up by getting back to featuring Herbert throwing it down the field."
Dan Hanzus:
"Herbert is different. He makes the Chargers different. He accounted for 472 total yards and three touchdowns -- and, even more impressively, showed unshakable cool when the world was on fire. He's a franchise quarterback in every way."
Shelley Smith:
"Most memorable Thanksgiving game: Chargers beat Cowboys 28-6 on Nov. 23, 2017
The Chargers defeated a beat-up Dallas team in their first Thanksgiving game in 48 years. Philip Rivers threw for 434 yards on 27-of-33 passing, and Keenan Allen caught 11 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown. They bested a Cowboys team without several key players, including running back Ezekiel Elliott, who was sidelined because of a six-game suspension stemming from a domestic violence investigation. Before that, the most recent time the Chargers played on Thanksgiving was in 1969, when they beat the Oilers in the Astrodome 21-17."
NFL Staff:
"Like so many NFL teams in 2021, the Los Angeles Chargers have been up and down. There was the up of a 4-1 start that included wins over Cleveland, Las Vegas and Kansas City. And the down of a 1-3 stretch after that included a blowout loss in Baltimore and home defeats at the hands of Minnesota and New England.
Sunday night's win over Pittsburgh was in some ways a microcosm for the season. For most of the game, the Chargers did just about whatever they wanted offensively, piling up a whopping 533 yards of offense.
But the Chargers also blew a 17-point fourth-quarter lead, and it took a late touchdown pass from Herbert to Mike Williams to pull out a four-point win and keep the pressure on the Chiefs in the AFC West.
However, while the win was far from flawless, Sobleski thinks it shows that the Bolts have to be taken seriously in the AFC bracket.
"The Chargers remain very dangerous in the muddled AFC," he said. "A win Sunday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers placed Los Angeles right back into the thick of things as a legitimate playoff contender. With the team's backfield of quarterback Justin Herbert and running back Austin Ekeler, the Chargers offense is extremely difficult to defend based on their varied skill sets. As long as the defense plays well enough, Los Angeles can beat anyone."'
Gary Grambling:
"Even setting aside the wacky events that got the Steelers back into it on Sunday night, this is still a team that feels a little too dependent on the quarterback's heroics (even if the quarterback is very, very good)."
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