The Chargers are now 6-3 after beating the Tennessee Titans, and keeping pace with the AFC’s best. Yet the vibes in La La Land are at a season low …

Today’s Hottest Take: No Alt, No Problem

Joe Alt, the player whom I less than a week ago touted as “the second-most important player to the Chargers,” is now done for the season with an ankle injury. With that blow, a lot of fans, including Charger fans, are writing this season off as a lost hope, despite the 6-3 record and being ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs in the standings as of this moment.

I am here to play the role of optimist, something often frowned upon among Chargers fans, and tell the masses that not only is the season not doomed, but the Chargers are still very much a threat to take home the AFC West crown, and there’s one reason why: Justin Herbert.

Right now, despite all of the tumultuous circumstances, his RB1, RB2, and RB3 all out, down to his sixth and seventh tackles, Mehki Becton in and out of the lineup, Bradley Bozeman’s poor play ... Herbert is playing MVP-caliber football. The Bolts are 6-3 because with No. 10 at the helm, they are capable of beating anyone on any day.

What You Need to Know: 3rd and Keenan Lives

"3rd and Keenan" was a long-standing mantra among Chargers fans during the future Hall-of-Famer’s first tenure with the Chargers. Now that he’s back where in belongs, Keenan Allen has revived said mantra, as the vet has led the Chargers' offense to the best third-down conversion rate in the NFL. His knack for showing up on the money down has added an element to a Chargers offense that needs all of the help it can get with the struggles up front, and Herbert having his favorite safety blanket on a passing down where pressure is coming is one of the reasons I still believe this roster can get the job done.

Allen’s role has been reduced to three-receiver sets, as Tre Harris has taken the role of the dirty work WR that once belonged to No. 13, but when Keenan is on the field, he still takes the attention of every player in the secondary, allowing Ladd McConkey and Oronde Gadsden to find their role in the pass game much easier. The Chargers all-time great only needs two more catches to break Antonio Gates record for receptions, and he looks to do it versus a porous Steelers secondary.

Before You Go: Betting On Penning At The NFL Trade Deadline

The Chargers were very timid at the deadline, which was expected when you acknowledge the lack of capital the Bolts have in this upcoming draft. But they absolutely couldn’t go on without attempting to address the elephant in the room after the announcement of Joe Alt’s season-ending injury.

Enter Trevor Penning.

Penning is a former first-round pick of the New Orleans Saints, taken not many picks after current Chargers left guard Zion Johnson. Los Angeles now looks at a scenario where both of the underwhelming first-round picks will line up next to each other on the left side of the Chargers O-line to protect Justin Herbert’s blindside. Penning has been nothing too special in the NFL, but as is the case with many former first-rounders: the talent is there. Penning is a stronger run blocker than pass blocker and utilizes his athleticism and nasty streak to win in space in the run game, but struggles to match the athleticism with technique against fast-twitch speed rushers. His physicality and nastiness will never be in question, and the Chargers are hoping to fine-tune that into someone who can keep their season afloat as their left tackle for the time being.