Las Vegas Raiders coach Pete Carroll must have assumed these were the old Chargers when he made the spiritless decision to settle for a field goal after an 11-minute drive with his team down double digits in the fourth quarter. 

Geno Smith could have told his coach these weren’t the same ol’ Chargers. He was constantly under duress while looking for his hobbled star tight end Brock Bowers to bail him out. Red zone opportunities are hard to come by against this very different, ferocious Chargers defense. 

The blown lead we’ve come to expect from the Chargers never occurred against the outmatched Raiders, who watched Smith get pummeled a few more times as Los Angeles put the finishing touches on the 20–9 victory. In Carroll’s defense, for the weak call, though, praying for the Chargers to revert to their old ways was the only hope the Silver and Black had Monday night.

Justin Herbert (19-of-27 for 242 yards, 2 TDs) had no issue moving the football against the Raiders’ defense and now has the Chargers sitting all alone atop the AFC West standings. It’s way too early to call Herbert the league MVP. But calling the Chargers the best team in the AFC West seems about right. The Chiefs are winless, the Broncos have a Bo Nix problem and the Raiders are too reliant on Bowers. 

Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter is well on his way to securing a head-coaching position in the offseason with how well his unit has played through two weeks. They punched the Chiefs in the mouth during the season opener in Brazil and shut down the Chip Kelly–led Raiders offense, which only produced a measly 218 total yards while the Chargers had a whopping 15 passes defensed.

You could argue the Raiders weren’t at their best because Bowers was clearly limited by the knee injury, but the Chargers were without Khalil Mack, who injured his elbow in the first half. Mack cheered from the sideline as the Chargers swarmed Smith and batted many of his passes. Smith (24-of-43 for 180 yards and 3 INTs) appeared lost and helpless after throwing an ugly interception in the end zone in the final quarter. 

You might not recognize all the names on the Chargers’ defense, but it’s easy to tell how massive and nasty they are on the field. There’s sideline-to-sideline playmaker Daiyan Henley, feisty cornerbacks Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still and the enforcer and defensive tackle Teair Tart, who got away with shoving Smith well after getting rid of the ball. 

These Chargers are playing Jim Harbaugh football and that’s what makes them different. Everything seems to be going their way, which maybe shouldn’t be too surprising with the results Harbaugh tends to get in his second season at all of his stops. Harbaugh guided the 49ers to the Super Bowl in his second season when he made the bold decision to pull Alex Smith in favor of Colin Kaepernick. 

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert
Herbert has led the Chargers to two divisional wins through two weeks. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Maybe, just maybe, these Chargers are better than those Harbaugh–led Niners squads because of Herbert, who appears ready to join the big four of Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. Herbert wasn’t needed as much in Las Vegas as he was in Brazil for Week 1, but he had no trouble getting the ball to Keenan Allen (five catches, 61 yards, 1 TD) and Quentin Johnston (three catches, 71 yards, 1 TD). 

Sure, it’s a bit concerning that Los Angeles hasn’t gotten more from second-year receiver Ladd McConkey and first-round rookie running back Omarion Hampton. Still, that’s a good problem to have because it shows the depth of this team. If injuries occur to the skill players, the offense should be well equipped to make the necessary adjustments, unlike the Raiders with a hobbled Bowers. 

Again, it’s premature to say this is the year Herbert puts it all together by capturing the MVP award and finally winning a playoff game. But it’s a scary sight that Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman have unlocked Herbert in the passing game despite being old-school coaches who prefer to pound the rock. 

Sticking to the theme here, these Chargers are different and there’s nothing old about them. They appear to be the new bullies of the AFC West, a division that’s been won by the Chiefs for nine consecutive seasons. It’s the changing of the guard. Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are out and Herbert and his ferocious defense are in. 

Oh, yeah, and Herbert is dating pop star Madison Beer, according to TMZ. Everything is just different about these Chargers through two weeks.  

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as These Chargers Are Different With MVP-Level Justin Herbert, Dominant Defense.

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