Chargers Power Rankings/Ratings entering 2021 Wk 10

[Bolt-O]

With the upsets this last weekend, a lot of change for the losers and the winners get bumps. First group of rankings before Monday Night Football:

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Dalton Miller - Pro Football Network 9 (LW 8)
https://www.profootballnetwork.com/n...2021-nflwk-10/

Something just doesn't quite feel right with this team. After starting the season 4-1 despite playing some stiff competition, the offense doesn't look as explosive, and they've struggled to stop the run.

The Chargers essentially dominated the Eagles, but red-zone struggles allowed Philadelphia to stay in the game. With the Vikings, Steelers, and Broncos upcoming, there's a chance the Chargers are staring at the top seed in the West when they face the Bengals in Week 13.

Justin Herbert had himself quite a day, going 32-of-38 for 356 yards and 3 total touchdowns. Hopefully, LA stays on a roll and continues to rise back up in the NFL Power Rankings.

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Vinnie Iyer - Sporting News 9 (LW 13)
https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/...11qsweqyzmixkm

The Chargers got back to having electric and more versatile offense helmed by Justin Herbert. They also shored a few things up against the run and overcame secondary injuries in Philadelphia. That was a key rebound victory for Brandon Staley's team to get back into first place in the AFC West.

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Matt Johnson - Sportsnaut 9 (LW 10)
https://sportsnaut.com/nfl-power-ran...pdated-weekly/

Justin Herbert locked back in on Sunday, racking up 356 passing yards and posting a fantastic 123.2 passer rating. But the Chargers' atrocious run defense and lingering questions about the play-calling by Joe Lombardi prevent Los Angeles from being considered anything more than a playoff contender.

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Russell S. Baxter - Fansided 7 (LW 10)
https://fansided.com/2021/11/08/2021...ams-cardinals/

Brandon Staley's club looked to avoid a third consecutive loss as the team clashed with the Eagles at Philadelphia. The Bolts trailed 10-7 at intermission and the NFL's worst run defense allowed 115 yards in the first half. That number would grow to 176 yards.

But it wound up not mattering as Justin Herbert was sharp, hitting on 32 of his 38 throws for 356 yards and two TDs. Dustin Hopkins kicked the game-winning field goal with two seconds to play.

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[Bolt-O]

Tuesday Morning Blurbs... Consistent theme... Chargers Run Defense needs a lot of work, but Justin Herbert is a God.

Individual rankings:

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Frank Schwab - Yahoo Sports 12 (LW 14)

https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-power-rankings-rams-had-a-bad-loss-as-did-just-about-every-other-good-team-044722125.html

Brandon Staley isn't just going for it on fourth down to do it. His call to go for it on fourth down in the final two minutes, passing on a possible go-ahead field goal, was the correct analytical decision. That wouldn't have mattered to anyone if Justin Herbert's quarterback sneak was stopped short but Staley is going to coach his way, win or lose.

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Walter Cherepinsky - Walter Football 12 (LW 12)

http://walterfootball.com/nflpowerrankings.php

The Chargers were unstoppable on third and fourth down against the Eagles, as they scored every single possession in the second half. It was a nice rebound for Justin Herbert off two losses, though it should be noted that he faced a dumb coaching staff that didn't realize that he struggles so much versus the blitz. That will still be an issue going forward against smarter coaching staffs.

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Nate Davis - USA Today 10 (LW 10)

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/columnist/nate-davis/2021/11/09/nfl-power-rankings-week-10-2021-cardinals-titans/6349805001/

You want to like them, but Bolts D allowing most rushing yards in NFL and league-worst 5.0 yards per carry makes it tough.

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Pete Prisco - CBS Sports 9 (LW 15)

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/powerrankings/

They got back to playing the type of offensive football they need to play, which is to let Justin Herbert be free and loose. He's too good not to do that.

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Dan Hanzus - NFL.com 9 (LW 12)

https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-power-rankings-week-10-2021-nfl-season

The Chargers got the Justin Herbert performance they needed and returned to the win column as a result. The talented second-year passer was back to his gunslinger ways in a hard-fought 27-24 road win over the Eagles that -- combined with a Raiders loss -- moved the Chargers into a first-place tie in the AFC West at the season's virtual midpoint. Herbert completed 32 of 38 passes for 356 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, rebounding from back-to-back subpar performances in losses to the Patriots and Ravens. "We have an elite quarterback that can really throw it anywhere on the field," coach Brandon Staley said after the game. Herbert next gets a Vikings defense that just surrendered 500 yards in an overtime loss to Baltimore.


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Bryan Fischer - Athlon Sports 8 (LW 10)

https://athlonsports.com/nfl/nfl-power-rankings

Maybe a little tighter than expected but wins on the road are important wins this time of year and you have to be impressed with how Justin Herbert came out and played near flawlessly. What will keep Brandon Staley up at night is the run defense continues to be a problem no matter how good or bad the opponent is.

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Matt Verderame - Fansided.com 9 (LW 11)

https://fansided.com/2021/11/09/nfl-power-rankings-week-10-titans-bengals/

The Chargers have to fix their defense and special teams, but Justin Herbert is great.

[Bolt-O]

Consensus rankings

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ESPN Nation Consensus 9 (LW 12)
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/pag...rediction-team

Bold second-half prediction: The Chargers will get their defense sorted out and make the playoffs.

Quarterback Justin Herbert had his two hiccups this season, and I'm guessing he's done with those. The schedule lays out pretty well, so look for him to continue to defy non-believers. Said one veteran observer, "He's just not human." Herbert completed 84.2% of his passes against Philadelphia after having two of his worst outings as a pro vs. New England and Baltimore (51% and 56%, respectively). He's determined and poised to make a run this second half of the season, so a little defensive improvement will do wonders. -- Shelley Smith

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MMQB SI.COM Consensus 12T (LW 11)
https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/11/09/mm...-rankings-poll

Arguably the most intriguing team of the second half, Brandon Staley's Chargers are an aggressive outfit playing above average football in all facets, which, when taking into account their rising star quarterback and talented defense, should make them a playoff factor. While they lack the panache of their cross-town rivals, the Chargers remain one of the better teams in the NFL and an absolute nightmare for opponents week in and week out. -- Connor Orr

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Bleacher Report Consensus 9 (LW 9)
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/...tering-week-10

By the time the Los Angeles Chargers took the field Sunday in Philadelphia, the Bolts knew that the Las Vegas Raiders had fallen to the Giants. With a win over the Eagles, the Chargers could get back into a tie for first place in the AFC West.

The Chargers didn't rack up the style points, but thanks to 356 passing yards and two scores from young quarterback Justin Herbert, Los Angeles did indeed move into that tie for the top spot in the division.

Herbert's performance drew raves from Chargers head coach Brandon Staley.

"Justin was patient today, he was extremely accurate, he played with good timing and our offensive line had a lot do with that," Staley told reporters. "Justin was outstanding."

"Nine weeks in, it has become apparent that there is no front-runner in the AFC West," Davenport said. "In a battle this close, winning the division could well come down to which team has the best quarterback. It may cause some head-shaking and eye-rolling, but right now, Herbert is outplaying all of his AFC West counterparts -- Patrick Mahomes included."

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Danny Kelly - The Ringer Consensus 10 (LW 14)

https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2021/11/9/22771480/power-rankings-titans-ravens-patriots-falcons

The Contenders 8-18
<no team blurb>

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[Bolt-O]

AFC Seeding:

[Bolt-O]

[Bolt-O]

Last blurbs of the day, Athletic tomorrow morning.

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Mike Florio - PFT/NBC Sports 12 (LW 14)
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...ower-rankings/

They desperately needed a win in Philly, and they definitely need to find a way to keep winning.

to which team has the best quarterback. It may cause some head-shaking and eye-rolling, but right now, Herbert is outplaying all of his AFC West counterparts -- "Patrick Mahomes included."

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Reddit NFLPowerRankers Consensus 9 (LW 12)
https://www.reddit.com/r/nfl/comment...ower_rankings/

One of the larger contributing factors to the Chargers' two game skid was the struggles of the passing game. Justin Herbert completed 54% of his passes and averaged 209 yards passing in those two losses. His play was arguably the biggest reason the Chargers have now snapped that skid. Herbert completed 84.2% of his passes for 356 yards and accounted for three total TDs (two passing, one rushing). The run defense is still a glaring issue, but the team did enough to win this time. The Chargers will host Minnesota next week.

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AP Pro 32 Consensus 9 (LW 13)

http://www.pro32.ap.org/poll

<no blurb>

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[Bolt-O]

Power Ratings summary. These are separated in 4 groups, Ratings using results or points, Computer generated using Stats , Ratings for Point Spread bettors, and the DVOA and Aikman ratings.



NFL Playoff Standings - https://www.espn.com/nfl/standings/_/view/playoff
PlayoffStatus.com Draft Order - http://www.playoffstatus.com/nfl/nfldraftorder.html
Tankathon.com Draft Order - http://www.tankathon.com/nfl
USA Today Sagarin - https://sagarin.usatoday.com/2021-2/...-ratings-2021/
TeamRankings - https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/ran...ctive-by-other
ProFootballReference Standings - https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2021/
Massey Ratings - https://www.masseyratings.com/nfl/ratings
FiveThirtyEight Elo - https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com...l-predictions/
numberFire NFL Rankings - https://www.numberfire.com/nfl/teams/power-rankings
Odds Shark Power Rankings - https://www.oddsshark.com/nfl/power-rankings
ESPN NFL Football Power Index - https://www.espn.com/nfl/fpi
Draft Kings Nation - https://dknation.draftkings.com/authors/david-fucillo
Aikman Efficiency Rating - http://www.aikman.com/Aikman-Efficiency-Ratings
Football Outsiders DVOA - https://www.footballoutsiders.com/st...fficiency/2021
Covers.com Ranking - https://www.covers.com/Sports/NFL/PowerRankings
ARGH Ratings - http://www.arghratings.com/nfl.html

[Topcat]

Good work, Bolto...Bolts are on the comeback trail!

[Bolt-O]

The Athletic Consensus 9 (LW 12)

https://theathletic.com/2945034/2021/11/10/nfl-power-rankings-week-10-which-teams-are-actually-good-the-steelers-on-a-four-game-win-streak-make-a-case/

Are they good? If not for the lopsided loss at Baltimore last month, this would be a fairly confident yes. Instead, it's a tepid one. The Chargers lead the AFC West thanks to their head-to-head win against the Raiders. Despite questions about early-down play calling -- why so many runs, Joe Lombardi! -- the Chargers still have one of the NFL's most efficient offenses (fourth in offensive EPA, per TruMedia). We'd still like to see more.

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Summary:

[Bolt-O]

[beachcomber]

three things.... there is the suggestion that Herbert is not a pocket passer, or @least that he is real good as a rollout QB w/a moving pocket ??

every guy that we get back from injury, the better we'll be.... Bulaga is gonna make a difference for the if and when he sees the field and ditto for K9.

and the one stat that will really help the D, is TOP....