Chiefs biggest threat is standing right in front of them in AFC West

Sit down. We need to tell you something important.

The Los Angeles Chargers are just two games behind the Kansas City Chiefs for the top spot in the AFC West — and the Chargers are charging. Not "Chargering, " mind you, which means blowing games in seemingly incomprehensible ways — but "charging," as in charging up the standings.

After a 34-27 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday Night Football, the Chargers have won four straight and are 7-3 heading into a Monday Night Football throwdown with the Baltimore Ravens next week. The win against Cincy was a different kind of win for LAC; mostly this season, the defense has carried the team while the offense remained stagnant, but on SNF, the offense popped off for a season-high 34 points.

A win like that might not scare the Chiefs — they're still 9-1, after all. But it should absolutely make the Chiefs take notice of the Chargers, who showed that this offense has the ability to pop off. If that game was a turning point in the season for the Chargers, and the offense looks more like it did last night — when it totaled 435 yards — for the rest of the season, then KC might want to stop looking at Baltimore and Buffalo for competition in the AFC and start looking in its own division.

It took a little time for Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh's offense to start cooking, but after a sluggish start, this team has scored 26, 27, 27 and 34 points in four straight games — all wins. Get better as the season progresses? That's what contenders do.

The Los Angeles Chargers just need a good offense

And "good" is the key word there. Only twice this season has Los Angeles surrendered more than 20 points in a game — and Sunday night was one of those instances. If the defense can remain as consistent as it has been all season, and the offense can save the day when it needs to, then Jim Harbaugh's team can compete with anyone in the AFC.

Justin Herbert is the key to this offense being good. When Herbert is on, like he was in Sunday's win, the Chargers offense looks more than good.