The Los Angeles Chargers lost a heartbreaker to rivals Las Vegas Raiders in Week 18 on Sunday. This loss kept Los Angeles out of the playoffs, but there are some positives that players and their fans can take away from this tough defeat.

Let's get into four Chargers takeaways as they head to the offseason looking for solutions and answers.

Los Angeles Chargers Week 18 Takeaways Vs. Las Vegas Raiders

4. Justin Herbert is elite … and clutch

Although the Chargers started a bit slowly on offense, once they got going and found their rhythm, it sure was something special to watch. Justin Herbert was simply elite during the fourth quarter and overtime, as he repeatedly drove his team down the field and they just couldn't be stopped. As excellent as Carr was on Sunday night, Herbert was every bit as good.

This was truly a special evening, a showdown with two talented quarterbacks at the top of their respective games trading punches. Seriously, if it wasn't for the overtime rules, with the next scoring wins rule being implemented along with the possibility of a tie at the end of the overtime quarter, these two offenses may have ended up going back and forth for a long time. Neither defense could stop the opposing team's offense, only the rules of overtime could get a stop.

3. Keeping drives alive

Late in the game, the Chargers were repeatedly forced into third-and-long or fourth-and-long situations. Almost every time that Los Angeles was faced with one of these scenarios, Herbert was able to come up with some fourth down magic (or third down magic) and find a way to convert for a fresh set of downs.

Los Angeles scored two touchdowns after halftime, and they both came in the fourth quarter. The first of these two touchdowns was a 23-yard pass that came on a 4th and 21 (yes, you read that correctly). Meanwhile, the final touchdown that tied the game, a 12-yard strike to Mike Williams as time expired, came shortly after Los Angeles converted two 4th-and-10 situations to keep the drive going. The Chargers also had a 4th-and-11 play that they converted due to a defensive holding penalty. Altogether, that's 3-for-3 on fourth downs on the crucial game-tying drive.

The Chargers are no stranger to playing in games that come down to the wire, and this might have been the biggest moment of them all.  Herbert showed that he is more than capable of rising to the occasion. He was poised under pressure, tossing dime after dime to keep the season alive for the Chargers.

2. The crucial timeout

Brandon Staley is probably going to have a tough time explaining his decision to call a timeout with less than a minute remaining and the Raiders just outside of field-goal range. After the game, Staley said that his reasoning was because he wanted to adjust his defensive personnel prior to the play.

This timeout, personnel change and the ensuing play led to confusion for many: Staley said that he wanted to get his premium run-stopping defense in the game because he believed that the Raiders were going to run the ball, and he wanted to force a longer field goal. However, during the timeout one of the substitutions he made was to take out an inside linebacker in favor of a defensive back.

1. This is only the beginning

Despite the crushing defeat and seeing a playoff spot being snatched away right in front of them, there is one thing that Los Angeles can take solace in: this is only the beginning. Key players such as the aforementioned Justin Herbert, Mike Williams, Austin Ekeler, Joey Bosa, Rashawn Slater and Derwin James are only entering the primes of their careers. Even Keenan Allen, at age 29, will likely have at least two to three productive years left.

There is no reason why the Chargers won't be right back here next season.

If anything, this experience will pay tremendous dividends down the road for Herbert and company. They know what level they are capable of playing at, and there is no doubt they understand that if they had played at anything close to that level all game, they would be getting ready for a playoff matchup on Wildcard Weekend instead of sitting at home preparing for the offseason.

This Chargers team is now battle-tested, which will only serve to make them all the more dangerous going forward. Not only will this loss likely serve as motivation, but if they are ever in a similar season–whether at the end of the regular season, in the playoffs or even the Super Bowl–this team will have valuable experience to lean on as far as keeping their poise, playing their game and coming away with the win.