Welcome back to the Chargers Mailbag!

We'll be running one of these every week during the regular season, so send in submissions for the Mailbag here on Twitter or by sending me an email.

Off we go...

How high is the Chargers ceiling this season? (Jesse via email)

The vibes are high in Southern California and Jesse's email gives us a chance to take a look at just how special this season could be for the Chargers.

First, however, a look at where the Bolts stand right now.

The Chargers are 7-3 and turning heads around the league due to a four-game win streak.

They are in the top 10 in nearly everyone's power rankings, Jim Harbaugh is being praised for once again turning around another team and the MVP chatter around Justin Herbert is starting to gain some steam.

No matter how you slice it, the 2024 season to date is resounding success in the first season of the Harbaugh and Joe Hortiz Era.

Remember, this was a franchise that won five games a season ago and then essentially overhauled the roster in the offseason.

And while many outside the building casually threw out the word 'rebuild' when describing the Chargers, Harbaugh and Hortiz wanted none of that.

This tweet below illustrates just how impressive the Bolts have been this season. For context, they are winning games while not spending as much on their roster as other teams.

If the season ended today, the Bolts would be the No. 5 seed in the AFC and head to Houston in the Wild Card round.

It remains to be seen if the Texans will be the opponent in the playoffs, but what we do know is that the Bolts are barreling toward a postseason spot with their current playoff odds roughly around 95 percent.

"If we get in the playoffs, we are built for it," Harbaugh said on Monday.

I agree with that sentiment. And I'm here to say that the Chargers are certainly capable of making a deep playoff run in January.

That's not to say that will, but simply noting that they can. My reasoning?

—Justin Herbert

—The defense

—The Harbaugh Effect

Let's break those items down.

Herbert is an elite quarterback and has been on fire of late. Given how his only other playoff appearance went, you can imagine one the league's most competitive players will be out for redemption.

Entering Week 12, the Chargers defense ranks fourth in EPA per play (-0.101). Jesse Minter's unit has shown to be a top-tier group and will be hungry to keep proving themselves come playoff time.

Look, Jim Harbaugh is a winner. He nearly won a Super Bowl with the 49ers, claimed a national title at Michigan and surely came back to the NFL in order to chase a Lombardi trophy here. Given how he's instilled a toughness and a winning mentality within the team, there's little doubt in my mind that the Bolts will be a tough out in January.

Now, with all that said, the Chargers still have some work to do.

Monday night's game against Baltimore might be their biggest test of the year to date. But if the Chargers can get a win in The Harbaugh Bowl, anything feels possible for later in the season.

We'll get to DJ Chark below, but will use this space to dive into the matchup against Lamar Jackson.

If you look at the headline of this Mailbag, there's a reason I used the term "slow down" and not "stop" or"shut down."

Let's be honest. Nobody really ever completely shuts down Jackson, the 2023 NFL MVP who is once again having an elite season.

Jackson leads all quarterbacks in EPA per play (0.283) and has thrown more touchdowns (25) at this point in the season than he did a year ago. There's also his running ability, which can be lethal.

One thing I'm fascinated to see Monday night is how the Bolts defense chooses to defend Jackson.

There are numerous people within the Chargers organization who know Jackson well, a group that includes Hortiz, Greg Roman, Jesse Minter, Marc Trestman and others.

That doesn't mean the Chargers will completely stymie Jackson, but that group knows just how good he is.

If you ask me, the key will be to pressure Jackson while being smart doing so. Put another way, disciplined rush lanes are critical in not letting him escape the pocket and beat you with his legs.

I also wonder what role Daiyan Henley could play Monday night.

The Bolts second-year linebacker has been a monster this season and made perhaps the defensive play of the game against the Bengals when he pressured Joe Burrow on third down on Cincinnati's second-to-last drive.

Henley was a spy on the play, meaning he hung back and waited for Burrow to make a move before bursting into the backfield for force a key incompletion.

It's a tall task to ask any one player to keep up with Jackson all night. But maybe we see Henley locked in on Jackson as a way to try and slow him down.

Harbaugh was asked about Chark after Week 10 when the wide receiver played just one snap in his return from Injured Reserve.

"I would say it's more of an affirmation of what the receiver room is doing as a whole," Harbaugh said.

It's fair to reason that reasoning helps explain why Chark was then inactive Sunday against the Bengals.

Ladd McConkey is a star, Quentin Johnston is second in the AFC in touchdown catches and Joshua Palmer seemingly makes one clutch catch after another on a weekly basis.

Throw in Derius Davis' return ability and the trust Jalen Reagor has built up and that has squeezed Chark out of the lineup for now.

As for Hurst, he's has an up-and-down season, his first in powder blue.

He averaged about 35 snaps per game in the first four weeks of the season but was injured early against Denver in Week 6. He then missed two games and returned to action against the Browns, playing eight snaps.

Hurst played nine snaps against Tennessee and had a costly drop near the goal line that likely would have been a touchdown.

Harbaugh and his staff have shown a willingness to churn through the roster to find the best combinations for success.

Will Dissly's emergence as a pass catcher has stood out while Stone Smartt offers value on offense and special teams. And Tucker Fisk has shown to be a strong and capable blocker in the trenches.

I will say, and this also applies to Chark, but it's important to point out that the Bolts will likely need Hurst at some point down the stretch. Given how often injuries occur in the NFL and the normal wear and tear from a 17-game season and most teams end up relying on 60-plus players rather than the same 53-man roster every week.

Apple stepped in and played well Sunday night when Cam Hart exited the game due to injury.

I imagine Minter has a plan for how to deploy the cornerback depth over the next two months.

Hart and Kristian Fulton for the start at outside corner in Week 11. Tarheeb Still ended up playing 57 snaps compared to 41 for Taylor and just four for Apple.

The two fifth-round rookies have shown the ability to play (and thrive) in the NFL and should be part of the Chargers secondary for at least the next few years.

In my eyes, Taylor has improved each season he's been in the NFL and is a good player in the slot when he's on his game.

Coaches around the league like to joke that teams "can never have enough cornerbacks" no matter how deep you think you are at the position.

That mantra should apply to the Bolts, too. Everyone will be counted upon as the playoff race heats up.