For a team to move up in the power rankings while being on a bye, some things must have gone in their favor, right? That is the case for the Los Angeles Chargers, who moved up a notch this week.
Vinnie Iyer released his latest weekly power rankings and he has Jim Harbaugh's squad going from No. 17 to No. 16. After falling the last two weeks after losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs, the Chargers are moving back in the right direction. That's a great bye week.
Here's what Iyer had to say in his summary:
"The Chargers needed a bye to help Justin Herbert heal his foot and get more settled in the new offense. The defense is working fine, but look for them to help by opening up the passing game more with Herbert's young weapons."
Chargers fans will take the move up in rankings but the team will only consider the bye week a success if it is far healthier than it was in Week 4. In addition to Herbert, Joey Bosa, Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt were all nursing injuries. Those are four players the team must have on the field in order to win.
Still, Iyer sees the team in the top half of the league and when the Chargers return to the field in Week 6, they will face a Denver Broncos team that has won three games in a row. That will be a key AFC West battle at this stage of the season.
Of course, both of those teams are still chasing the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs, who remain at No. 1 in the rankings.
Iyer surmises that the Chargers will look to open the passing game up more to help the offense branch out. Joshua Palmer needs to be more of a factor and the team could also get veteran D.J. Chark back soon. Chark has missed all four of the team's games while dealing with a hip injury.
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