The Los Angeles Chargers face a big challenge this Sunday as they host the 5-1 AFC-leading Indianapolis Colts. To stand a chance, getting linebacker Khalil Mack back on the field could be crucial. He has missed time, and his return might be the key to slowing down the Colts’ dominant run.

The $18 million linebacker is now strongly hinting he is ready to return. When asked by The Athletic’s Daniel Popper if he feels like he could play this week, Mack didn’t hesitate: “For sure”. He added that the final decision is up to GM Joe Hortiz and head coach Jim Harbaugh.

The future Hall of Famer has been out since Week 2 with an elbow injury, but finally, there’s some good news out of Los Angeles. He is back at practice. The original plan was for him to begin a slow ramp-up process and possibly be ready for Week 8 against the Minnesota Vikings or Week 9 against the Tennessee Titans.

As it turns out, Mack is feeling much better than expected. There’s now a real chance he could suit up this week when the Chargers host the suddenly competitive Colts. His 21-day return window from Injured Reserve is officially open, which means the Chargers have three weeks to activate him.

The fact that he’s already moving around well at practice is a very good sign. A full workload might be asking a lot right away, but even a limited Khalil Mack is a game-changer for this defense. Since joining the Chargers in 2022, he has been pivotal: three straight Pro Bowls, and he’d only missed one game before this injury.

And let’s be honest, the defense misses him badly. They’re playing decent football, but not up to last year’s standard when they ranked 7th in pass defense and 1st in points allowed. Right now, they’re sitting at 7th in total defense (301.7 yards per game) and 12th in scoring defense (20.8 points per game).

Not concerning numbers, but they’re not elite either. Mack’s presence would take this pass rush to another level. The team’s tied for 7th in the NFL with 16 sacks. But regardless of his age, Mack is still an elite presence that could elevate this rush even further. And this isn’t the only good news that Jim Harbaugh got delivered.

Jim Harbaugh gets a positive Joe Alt update

The Chargers might go into the Colts game with a much healthier offensive line, too. Head coach Jim Harbaugh got another boost as quarterback Justin Herbert might finally have his star tackle back.

Joe Alt, who’s been out since Week 4 with that ankle sprain, was seen jogging during warmups this week and is back at practice for the first time since the injury. And that’s massive for an offensive line that’s been shaky at best.

With All-Pro Rashawn Slater out for the season, Alt’s return could be the difference between Herbert staying upright or getting crushed. Because so far, the quarterback has had a rather hard time staying upright.

Herbert has been sacked 18 times so far this season, tied for the fifth-most in the league. And the line ranks a brutal 28th in pass-block win rate. It’s been ugly. But Alt coming back should stabilize things immediately.

In the three games he played, he was steady and reliable. He took 209 snaps, allowed just one sack, and didn’t give up any hits. He gave up only three pressures and earned a 66.4 run-blocking grade, which matches the Chargers’ ground-game goals.

There’s still a lot of work to be done up defensively and up front, but with Joe Alt and potentially Khalil Mack both returning, this Chargers team is finally starting to look a little more like the one we saw in the first three games.