The LA Chargers nearly pulled out another epic loss on primetime against the Cincinnati Bengals but ultimately prevailed. With Jim Harbaugh running the ship, the Chargers rewrote the narrative to move to 7-3.
There is a lot the Chargers can learn from this game. The fact of the matter is the second half was a complete mess for the Bolts, who were able to escape thanks to two missed field goals and one strong drive to close it out.
The Chargers learned lessons that will make them a better team in 2024 but also learned some big-picture lessons that will impact the future of the organization. While nothing can be done this season, the near-meltdown highlighted a key missing piece of the championship puzzle.
Chargers need to add a true WR1 to be a consistent Super Bowl contender
Everything was going right for the Chargers in the first half because of Justin Herbert's superhuman play. Once the Bengals made adjustments and Herbert came back down to Earth in the second half the offense became a shell of itself.
Herbert's passing weapons are better than anticipated when fully healthy but long-term, the star quarterback still needs more help. The Chargers do not have a true, elite WR1 for Herbert to lean on and that showed up in the second half.
McConkey is great and he will continue to carve out a consistent role in this offense as he continues to produce for Herbert. As great of a route-runner as McConkey is, he is not a true game-breaking WR1 who can beat his man consistently one-on-one and tilt the entire field.
However, what he can be is a great 1B to someone who comes in and adds another wrinkle to the Chargers' offense.
That was the main difference in the second half between the two teams. While the Chargers struggled to get anything going, Joe Burrow started to lean on his elite duo of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The star power of Cincy carried the team back in the game. Without that star power, it would have been a different story.
Stars show up in the brightest moments and McConkey may be a star (to a lesser extent) in the making. What the Chargers need to do now is find their version of Chase and Higgins, even if the team never adds a WR1 that is as good as Chase is.
Perhaps that version could be with Higgins himself. Higgins may not be a top-tier WR1, but he and McConkey would make up one of the better 1-2 punches in the league. Higgins is a free agent this offseason and the Chargers have the cap space to sign him.
Regardless, the Chargers have to make do with what they have and for 2024 it is good enough. However, if the Bolts want to be a true contender that competes for a Super Bowl year in and year out, they need to add at least one truly dynamic pass-catcher to consistently win games against top-tier opponents.