It may not have been pretty but in the end, the LA Chargers did enough to beat the Atlanta Falcons 17-13 on Sunday.
Ugly wins are better than pretty losses every single time and Week 13's win was a reminder of that. The Chargers had one of their worst offensive games of the season and leaned on the defense to bail them out of trouble.
That is exactly what the defense did, picking off Kirk Cousins four times and scoring the only touchdown of the game via a Tarheeb Still pick-six. Great teams find ways to win and under Jim Harbaugh, the Chargers are looking more and more like a great team.
Still, the Chargers' offensive output on Sunday was not where the team wanted to be. Both Harbaugh and Justin Herbert relayed this after the game, giving credit to the defense while being brutally honest about the offensive performance.
Chargers QB Justin Herbert: "We're not impressed or pleased with how we played. But we're glad we won."
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) December 1, 2024
on the defense: "It's awesome. To have a defense playing like that, it's great for a team. We won because of the defense today, we have to do a better job as an offense." pic.twitter.com/bkteMr1NJe
Harbaugh told reporters that the Chargers were going to "rage" to get better on offense ahead of the team's game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 14. Even in an ugly showing, though, Harbaugh found a way to see the positive in what the Chargers did on offense against Atlanta.
"It's a beautiful thing we're witnessing. Complimentary football," Harbaugh said. "We weren't at our best offensively. But that two-point conversion, it's as big as any two-point conversion you could have in a game."
Justin Herbert and Jim Harbaugh admit the Chargers' offense needs to be better
This is why the Chargers are 8-4 on the season and have almost doubled last season's win total through 12 games. There are no moral victories even in a game where the team played poorly and got a win. This is a team that is always looking to get better and that is the culture Harbaugh has instilled.
Unfortunately, it is hard to see a path where the Chargers can be much better offensively. The team's offensive line can certainly play better as Herbert was under diress against one of the league's worst pass rushes. It was a bad day for the pass protection and there is enough talent in the building for that to improve.
However, from a personnel standpoint, the Chargers are simply outmatched on offense. The Chargers have one of the worst receiving corps in the NFL and are also playing without their lead running back. Ladd McConkey is the only receiver who can consistently create separation on offense and his knee injury is now a storyline fans must follow moving forward.
Can the Chargers offense play better than it did against the Falcons? Absolutely. But there is a limited ceiling on this team offensively. So as much as Herbert wants to improve, there is only so far he can take the offense.
Thankfully, the defense reminded everyone yet again on Sunday that it can single-handedly win a football game for the Bolts. If the defense keeps playing like this then the Chargers might be able to get by with just a mediocre offense.