The Los Angeles Chargers have high hopes for this season because they've got a standout quarterback in Justin Herbert, plenty of weapons on both sides of the ball and one of the best offensive lines in the game.'

But they took a big hit on Sunday, when starting left tackle Joe Alt went down with another ankle injury. This one was pretty severe though, and it will require season-ending surgery. It's a tough blow for the 6-3 Chargers, who are one game behind the Denver Broncos in a very tense AFC West race.  

Here's the full story from Chargers Roundtable writer Brad Magsam.

Joe Alt Suffers Season Ending Ankle Injury The Los Angeles Chargers suffered a major blow as left tackle Joe Alt will miss the rest of the season with an ankle injury requiring surgery. With Alt out, the Chargers must find a way to protect Justin Herbert and keep their offense on track as the trade deadline approaches.

Alt was the Chargers' first-round pick out of Notre Dame in the 2024 NFL Draft. And for a season and a half, he's been a mainstay on the Los Angeles offensive line.

He missed three games earlier this year with an ankle injury, but this will take him out for good. The injury happened in the second quarter Sunday during their 27-20 win over the Tennessee Titans when Titans defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day fell onto Alt's right ankle.

His tackle counterpart on the right side, All-Pro Rashawn Slater, is done for the year, too. He went down with a patellar tendon injury in the preseason, and others have been hit by the injury bug as well. Right guard Mekhi Becton missed Sunday's game with a knee injury and right tackle Bobby Hart got hurt during the Titans game. 

According to ESPN Analytics/NFL Next Gen Stats, the Chargers are 4-0 when Alt plays the full game and 2-3 when he doesn't. Herbert misses that protection as well, because he has a QBR of 80 with Alt on the field and a QBR of 56 without him.

Here's what remains for the Chargers in the second half of the season.

Nov. 9 (Sun.) — vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 8:20 p.m. ET. TV: NBC
Nov. 16 (Sun. ) — at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m. ET. TV: CBS
Nov. 23 — bye week
Nov. 30 (Sun.) — vs. Las Vegas Raiders, 4:25 p.m. ET. TV: CBS
Dec. 8 (Mon.) — vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 8:15 p.m. ET. TV: ABC/ESPN
Dec. 14 (Sun.) — at Kansas City Chiefs, 1 p.m. ET. TV: TV: CBS
Dec. 21 (Sun.) — at Dallas Cowboys, 1 p.m. ET. TV: FOX
Dec. 27/28 (Flex) — vs. Houston Texans, Time TBA
Jan. 3/4 (Flex) — at Denver Broncos, Time TBA

With the Chargers one game behind Denver, they current sit as the No. 6 seed in the AFC playoff race. Here's how things look in the AFC.