The LA Chargers came out of the bye week with injuries galore and desperately needed to defeat the Atlanta Falcons with a tough stretch of games on the horizon. It was not pretty, but the Chargers did just that, riding a Cameron Dicker game-winning field goal to a 20-17 win on Sunday.
Things certainly did not start well for the Chargers, who fell behind 10-0 with the ugliest possible first quarter that the team could have had. And while there were several errors that the team made, there are still some positives to take away from this game.
These positives are important to remember as a fanbase as they directly impact the team moving forward. If you are worried about the 5-3 Chargers, just keep these things in mind.
3 massively positive takeaways from the Chargers win over the Falcons:
1. Justin Herbert looked like Justin Herbert
Justin Herbert fractured his rib cartilage in Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs and while he played through it and has made some big plays, he has not looked like himself. Herbert has not had the same zip on his passes that he had before and he was not extending plays and rolling out like he normally would.
The bye week seemed to be the best thing for Herbert, as he finally looked like he was 90-95% of what he normally is before the rib injury. The stats might not have been great with all of the missing weapons and the drops by the offense but those who watched saw a version of Herbert they have not seen since Week 2.
This is huge for the Chargers. On top of all of the other injuries the team was dealing with, having Herbert only play like a 70% version of himself did limit the ceiling of the team. Nearly two months after suffering the rib injury, it appears that Herbert might be back to normal.