3 massively positive takeaways for Chargers fans after Week 9 win

2. The rushing attack was working on early downs

The Atlanta Falcons have one of the worst defenses in the sport and it was even worse on Sunday with AJ Terrell not playing in the game. Granted, that was countered by the fact that Herbert was missing his WR1, WR2 and WR4 in this game.

While 20 points might not seem like a big deal against a defense as bad as Atlanta's, the Chargers did do a lot of good things in this game. They were iced out in the first quarter as the defense could not figure out how to get a stop but once the Chargers actually got the chance to put a drive together they did well. If it was not for untimely drops, this might not have been a close game.

What was really promising for the Chargers in this game is how they ran the ball on early downs. The Chargers have been one of the worst running teams in the league this season and as great as Herbert is, the Bolts need the run game to get going to maximize this offense.

The Chargers averaged five yards per carry on first downs in this game and that includes some shorter runs late in the game that were simply called to milk some clock. Austin Ekeler, Isaiah Spiller and even Sony Michel had good reps on first down, which is going to have a positive long-term impact on this team.

Overall, the Chargers' running backs ran the ball 22 times for 88 yards. Of those 88 yards, 65 came on 13 first-down carries. If the Chargers can build on this moving forward then they will be a more complete offense.