When Jim Harbaugh took over as the coach of the Los Angeles Chargers this year, we knew they would be a physical team that would run the ball, play good defense and receive timely throws from Justin Herbert.

The idea was to build the offensive line, play power football, hit the big shots off the run game and hope the defense could bring a physical style.

As we hit the halfway point of the season, they have been all of that and more, but the big shock has to be the play of the defense. The Chargers are 5-3 and have No. 1-ranked scoring unit in the league.

New defensive coordinator Jesse Minter has his group playing as well as anyone, giving up 12.6 points per game to lead the league. That is 2.3 points per game better than the second-place Steelers. The Chargers are eighth in total defense, tied for seventh in sacks with 24 and ninth in takeaways per game.

That unit starred in Sunday’s dominating 27-10 victory over the Cleveland Browns on the road. They limited the Browns to 57 yards in the first half, and Cleveland had one field goal before a garbage-time touchdown. The Chargers also had three interceptions of Jameis Winston and sacked him six times.

The offensive numbers for the year aren’t nearly as impressive, but recent games show that that side of the ball is picking it up as well. Injuries, including to Herbert, slowed them some at times this season, but as they’ve gotten healthier, the offense has started to click. In the past three games, Herbert is averaging 303.3 passing yards and has four touchdown passes compared to zero interceptions.

The trademark Harbaugh run game isn’t quite where it needs to be, but J.K. Dobbins and a healthy offensive line are more than capable of getting it going in the second half of the season.

The Chargers are up to 10th in my power rankings this week. After a home game with the Titans this Sunday, the schedule toughens up with home games against the Bengals and Ravens, followed by road games versus the Falcons and Chiefs. By the time that Chiefs game rolls around Dec 8, we will know for sure if they are a legitimate challenger in the AFC. (The betting markets give them a 75% chance (-300) to make the playoffs, but they have the seventh-best odds to win the AFC Championship, per FanDuel Sportsbook).

For now, it seems like the Chargers are for real. The defense has been the story so far, but we know the offense will get the run game going with Harbaugh leading the charge, and Herbert looks to be comfortable now in the offense.

Harbaugh is proving once again that he is one of the best coaches anywhere — he’s currently +1200 to win Coach of the Year at FanDuel — which is another reason why this team is being undersold a bit right now. The Chargers are a real threat in the AFC to anybody in large part because of that dominant defense.

Biggest Movers

Rk	Teams		Chg	Rcrd
1	Chiefs	Yeah, yeah. It wasn’t pretty against Tampa Bay, but they found a way to win it in overtime. They just keep on winning. That’s all that matters.	—	8-0-0
2	Lions	This is the best team in the NFC as Jared Goff continues to play flawless football. Does the ball ever hit the ground when he’s throwing it these days?	—	7-1-0
3	Bills	They have to improve their run defense, but they are running away with the division. It’s now about seeding the rest of the way.	—	7-2-0
4	Commanders	Jayden Daniels continues to roll up big numbers as he stays a legitimate MVP candidate. This team is for real as they ready to face the Steelers this week.	2	7-2-0
5	Ravens	The offense can score on anybody, but the defense made big strides against the Broncos. That’s something we had to see.	2	6-3-0
6	Steelers	They come off their bye with a big road game against the Commanders. That will be a big prove-it game for the new-look offense with Russell Wilson.	2	6-2-0
7	Vikings	The defense got back on track against the Colts after a few tough weeks. That will be this team’s calling card in the second half of the season.	2	6-2-0
8	Packers	Jordan Love needs to get healthy. He just didn’t look right against the Lions as the offense struggled. The pick-six before the half was inexcusable.	4	6-3-0
9	Eagles	They made it interesting against the Jaguars, but found a way to hold on. Their game management leaves a lot to be desired.	1	6-2-0
10	Chargers	They are really doing a lot of good things. The defense is special and few have noticed. It’s time we do.	6	5-3-0
11	Falcons	They can score points, that’s for sure. There is still come concern about that defense, but they lead the NFC South by two games.	—	6-3-0
12	Texans	It’s hard to win in this league when you can’t protect your quarterback. Their line is a mess and C.J. Stroud is struggling because of it.	7	6-3-0
13	49ers	They come off their bye with a long trip to face the Bucs in Tampa. The time off had to be good for this banged-up team.	1	4-4-0
14	Cardinals	Big props to this group. They are 5-4 and sit atop the NFC West. Jonathan Gannon has done a great job and Kyler Murray is playing well.	1	5-4-0
15	Rams	They have really turned their season around as the offense gets healthy and the defense improves with a lot of young players. They look ready to make a playoff push.	4	4-4-0
16	Broncos	They had a reality check against the Ravens. But they can’t sit and sulk because they face the Chiefs this week. The defense has to get back on track.	3	5-4-0
17	Bengals	They are alive and kicking in the playoff chase thanks to Joe Burrow having a special season. They face a big one this week at Baltimore.	8	4-5-0
18	Bears	So much for all that talk of this team possibly being a playoff team. They looked lifeless against Arizona. The offense did nothing.	4	4-4-0
19	Seahawks	This team is in a free fall as their fast start seems like a long time ago. Their bye this week comes at a good time to try and regroup.	2	4-5-0
20	Buccaneers	They showed well in losing in overtime against the Chiefs Monday night. They are undermanned, but battled all night — which is a good thing to see.	2	4-5-0
21	Jets	It wasn’t pretty against the Texans, but they found a way. The offense actually showed some life in the second half.	1	3-6-0
22	Colts	The move to bench Anthony Richardson didn’t do much for the offense against the Vikings. Joe Flacco didn’t look great, so how long do they stick with him?	1	4-5-0
23	Dolphins	Their season is over. They badly needed to win that game at Buffalo, but fell just short. The defense has let them down.	7	2-6-0
24	Browns	Jameis Winston-mania came to a screeching halt in the loss to the Chargers. Their playoff hopes took a damning blow.	1	2-7-0
25	Cowboys	It’s over for this team. They have no chance to turn this thing around, especially with Dak Prescott out a few weeks with a hamstring injury. Big changes are coming.	5	3-5-0
26	Titans	It’s too bad they can’t play the Patriots every week. But at least they found a way to win a game. What do they do when Will Levis is healthy?	5	2-6-0
27	Giants	They are just too limited in a lot of areas, yet it appears the general manager and coach will be back. Should they be?	1	2-7-0
28	Jaguars	They showed some life in rallying at Philadelphia late, but they still lost. This season is done. It’s time for a house cleaning.	1	2-7-0
29	Patriots	Drake Maye is getting better, even if they aren’t winning games. He does have to cut down on turnovers, but learning for him is what this season is all about the rest of the way.	1	2-7-0
30	Panthers	Give credit to Bryce Young. He made some good plays to help the Panthers beat the Saints. It’s progress.	2	2-7-0
31	Saints	This team has lost seven straight games, which is why Dennis Allen was fired Monday as the coach. The injuries mattered, but they had to do something.	7	2-7-0
32	Raiders	The quarterback situation is a disaster and they fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. But what did they expect when they decided to play who they did at quarterback this season?	3	2-7-0