The Chargers snapped their losing streak Sunday, defeating the Jaguars by the score of 39-29.

The game saw a roller coaster of events, just like every other game Los Angeles has played, but this time the Bolts actually prevailed.

Before moving on to previewing next weekend’s matchup against the Broncos, let’s take a look at my three takeaways from the Chargers’ victory over Jacksonville.

A star in the making

In quarterback Justin Herbert’s first four starts, he put the nation on notice with his slew of strong performances against some stiff competition. In Sunday’s contest, the rookie made it evident that the Chargers really might have a future All-Pro quarterback on their hands.

Once again, Herbert put the team on his back, guiding the offense to 16 points in the first half. Once the Chargers lost their double-digit lead soon. after, he led them to 23 additional points, which was ultimately enough to close out the contest.

Herbert finished 27-of-43 passing for 347 yards and three touchdowns, as he picked up his first professional win. Herbert also had a team-high 66 rushing yards and a score on nine carries.

It’s clear that Herbert is way ahead of the curve. The 22-year old has been carved up defenses, both with his big arm and with his legs. But he’s sharpened his decision-making and instincts, especially under pressure, which was one of his knocks coming out of college.

The coaches and players have full trust in the young signal-caller and he is only scratching the surface.

Defense needs to tighten up

If it wasn’t for Herbert’s performance, there’s a good chance that the Chargers could have experienced another loss all because of a defensive outing that started to get out of hand after starting out hot.

Like previous weeks, the defense was lights out, forcing the Jaguars to go three-and-out on their first four possessions, and total only 16 yards in the first quarter.

It all started up front with a dominant pass rush led by edge defenders Joey Bosa, Uchenna Nwosu and Melvin Ingram, as they made life difficult for quarterback Gardner Minshew.

But it was right before the half where it all started to go downhill. Missed tackles and lack of effort led to big plays by Jacksonville. The defensive line wasn’t getting any push and running back James Robinson took advantage of that.

Robinson finished with 137 total yards and two touchdowns on 26 touches (5.4 yards per carry).

If the Chargers want to make a push for the playoffs, they have to start aggressive and finish aggressive on defense, rather than having sporadic moments of lackluster play because they’ve seen in their four losses that it will come back to haunt them.

Special teams is a glaring issue

In 2019, the Chargers finished with the worst special-teams DVOA in the league, according to Football Outsiders. This year, it hasn’t gotten any better as the team ranks dead last in this category, and it only got worse on Sunday.

Kicker Michael Badgley missed an extra point on Los Angeles’ opening touchdown. Then came a blocked punt on the opening drive of the second half, which was returned for a touchdown. Badgley then added a missed 48-yard field goal on the next possession.

But it goes beyond that. L.A. is tied for the third-most penalties in the NFL (7). They also have allowed the second-most punt-return yards in the league (178).

A positive came from the special teams unit when linebacker Malik Jefferson forced a fumble on a kickoff return in the fourth quarter which led to the ensuing touchdown.

Nonetheless, it may be overlooked, but special teams could be the difference between winning and losing games, and it’s clear that it is an area that needs to be addressed, even if it includes personnel changes.