Chargers finally find Justin Herbert's blindside protector (and it was obvious)

The Los Angeles Chargers earned an absolutely pivotal win against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 13, and, in doing so, they posted their best offensive performance in weeks, putting up 31 points against a beleaguered opposing defense while granting Justin Herbert the space he needed to extend and make plays throughout the course of the game, even with a broken hand.

Yet, while Herbert's return to form was certainly notable, what was almost more important was the solid play of left tackle Jamaree Salyer, whose insertion as a starter this week represented the team's last desperate gamble to assemble any sort of protection for their quarterback.

The struggles of the Chargers' offensive line have been well-documented, and any hope they have of reaching the playoffs, let alone earning a win once they get there, is wholly dependent upon them finding some way to protect their quarterback on a game-to-game basis. If Salyer's start serves as any indication, they may have just made a major breakthrough on that front.

Jamaree Salyer is the Chargers' last hope, and it seems as though he delivered when they most needed it

Coming off of their bye, Los Angeles desperately needed a win against the Raiders given the fact that, in order to make the playoffs, they likely need to post a 3-3 record across their final six games of the season. With their upcoming schedule including the Chiefs, Eagles, Broncos, Cowboys and Texans, Las Vegas easily represented the least formidable challenge that lied ahead.

Yet, their most harrowing concern remained their offensive line. With both Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater out for the season, the team has seen a revolving door at left tackle, most recently with trade deadline acquisition Trevor Penning trying and failing to provide stability to the line at its weakest point.

While the team gave up three sacks against the Raiders, however, much of the pressure came from Maxx Crosby, who was matched up against Trey Pipkins III on the right side of the line. Salyer, meanwhile, looked solid for most of the game, even getting a crucial seal on Kimani Vidal's explosive touchdown run that allowed the Chargers to pull ahead in the third quarter.

While there are still certainly concerns for other areas of the line, left tackle has been a massive problem for the Chargers since Alt went down. If Salyer can come to represent even a semblance of consistency on that side, he could be the piece that allows the team to resurrect its offense.

All Herbert needs is a little bit of time and space to keep the offense alive, and Salyer, when the team most needed it, helped provide that.