No. 9: Kris Knox – Bleacher Report (Last Week: No. 10)
Herbert's mobility also helped put the Chiefs away, and his play is a big reason why Los Angeles can have realistic Super Bowl dreams this season. There isn't much he can't do, and he'll have the chance to do it all in 2025.
With new (and returning) pieces in the lineup, Greg Roman's offense has a chance to be far more dynamic than last year's. Coupled with a talented, well-coached defense, that makes L.A. a team poised to build on last year's success.
No. 9: NFL Nation – Kris Rhim – ESPN (Last Week: No. 14)
Best newcomer performance: WR Keenan Allen
Allen is technically a newcomer. But he spent his first 11 seasons with the Chargers before the team traded him to the Bears last season following a contract dispute. He finished with seven catches for 68 yards and a touchdown, which came on an out route that left him wide open. The score was the 60th of his career with the Chargers, making him the third player to reach that mark in franchise history.
No. 9: Diante Lee – The Ringer (Last Week: No. 14)
Friday night was a clinic from Los Angeles's franchise quarterback—he totally controlled the game from the pocket and played his best football in the fourth quarter to close out the win. The Chargers still make me nervous because of some of the problems they have on the roster, but Herbert is dialed in at the moment, and that clearly raises this team's ceiling.
No. 10: Dan Wilkins – theScore (Last Week: No. 13)
Justin Herbert is an elite QB. The Chargers' star signal-caller putting on a show in a standalone game Friday in Brazil is an excellent development for the always reasonable and never insufferable QB discourse.
No. 13: Eric Edholm – NFL.com (Last Week: No. 14)
Quentin Johnston also came up big and might yet be a true difference-maker. I was kind of fading this team a bit in the preseason after the season-ending injury to Rashawn Slater, who's a tremendous player, but watching Joe Alt at left tackle in Week 1 made me feel a whole lot better.