The Bolts are 4-3 as they get ready for a road game in Cleveland.
Here are three key Chargers stats ahead of Week 9:
1. Justin Herbert's No. 1 performance
Justin Herbert beat the Saints with his arm and legs on Sunday, a sign that the Bolts quarterback is back to full health.
Another indication?
Herbert posted a Pro Football Focus offensive grade of 95.3 in Week 8, which is the best mark of his career to date.
Herbert's performance was the top grade of any offensive player so far in Week 8 and ranks as the fifth-best offensive grade of any player in 2024.
"It's like being around greatness every day," Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh said Sunday. "That's all I can say. Just every day I get to watch him."
2. The defense is elite
As we near the midway point of the 2024 season, the Bolts defense remains among the league's top units.
The group allowed just eight points against New Orleans (and you can argue it was really just six points since a safety came on special teams).
Entering Week 9, the Chargers remain first in the league with just 13.0 points allowed per game.
A key reason for that stat is the fact the Bolts have routinely denied opponents from getting inside the red zone.
The Saints ran just four plays inside the 20-yard line Sunday, all of which came in the final minute of Week 8.
On the season, the Chargers have faced just 34 red-zone plays from opposing offenses. The Dolphins rank second in that category with 53 red-zone plays faced.
All in all, the Chargers defense ranks second in EPA allowed per play (-0.146).
Get an inside look at the postgame celebration from the Bolts 26-8 win over the New Orleans Saints at SoFi Stadium.
3. Joe Alt is a stud
In case you missed it, my colleague Omar Navarro wrote a fantastic feature on Joe Alt last week detailing how he's thrived early in his NFL career.
Unsurprisingly, the Chargers 2024 first-round pick was stellar again on Sunday.
According to stats from NFL Pro, Alt did not allow a pressure on any of his 38 pass-blocking snaps against the Saints. That tied for the most snaps without a pressure allowed by a rookie tackle over the last three seasons.
Alt squared off against New Orleans' edge rusher Carl Granderson on 16 snaps, including 13 1-on-1 reps. NFL Pro noted that Granderson had only been held without a pressure across 10 or more matchups in one other game so far this season.
Week 8 was the first game of Alt's without a pressure allowed.
"Joe was really good in all phases. Run game and pass game," Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh said Monday.
Harbaugh later added: "He's been a football player. That's the thing that comes to mind the most. Really the highest compliment you can give a football player. He's been great."
Check out the Chargers 2024 schedule.
