NFL Week 10 Power Rankings: Jim Harbaugh has Chargers playing like legitimate contenders; Bengals have life - CBSSports.com

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.