INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- It took a bit for the Los Angeles Chargers to wake up, but when they finally did, they took control of the game, which led to their third straight victory after the 27-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
It was a tough-fought victory. They took over in the third quarter and pulled away to improve to 6-3 on the season.
Quarterback Justin Herbert was efficient, going 14-for-18 for 164 passing yards and throwing a touchdown pass. Most importantly, Herbert showed that he is healthy, running for 34 yards on seven carries and a touchdown.
“Justin [Herbert] was doing some shit I’ve never seen,” Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack said. “He pumped (and faked out) the DB. I didn’t know he had that in the arsenal. I know Justin is looking at all the film. Special player. You see him laying his body on the line today. It speaks volumes when you have a leader like that.”
Running backs JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards combined for 25 carries for 105 yards. This was a good return game for Edwards, who struggled in the beginning part of the season, but after a four week IR stint it was a solid performance.
"J.K. [Dobbins] has been on track to be the Comeback Player of the Year in the NFL," Harbaugh said. "I mean he just adds so much toughness to our football team. [RB] Gus Edwards, you saw it today, just poured toughness into our football team. I mean everybody gets excited when you see backs running that way. It motivates us all."
Jesse Minter's defense started the game off slow, giving up a touchdown on the opening drive but settling down. Their pressure got to Titans quarterback Will Levis, sacking him seven times on Sunday. Their defense has 13 sacks in the last two games.
The Chargers' first drive was both impressive and unimpressive. They drove up the 68 yards in 12 plays, taking off 6:52 on the clock. Herbert found Dissly for 14 yards, Edwards ran it twice for 16 yards, and he ran it twice for 11 yards, but they fell two yards short of the end zone. They settled for a 21-yard field goal from Dicker.
Ric Tapia - The Sporting Tribune
Justin Herbert #10 of the Los Angeles Chargers signals at the line of scrimmage during the first half against the Tennessee Titans at SoFi Stadium on November 10, 2024 in Inglewood, California.
The end zone efficiency has come into question for the Chargers all season.
The Chargers defense has been a bright spot, but it was tested early. A returning Will Levis led a drive of 72 yards in seven plays, finishing it off with a 42-yard wide-open touchdown pass to Calvin Ridley. He flew past cornerback Ja'Sir Taylor and walked into the end zone, holding the ball out to celebrate. It was the first touchdown the defense allowed in the first quarter since week one.
Two crucial plays that hampered the Chargers from scoring 14 points instead of six in their first three drives were tight end drops-- something that has happened a lot in these nine games.
They faced 2nd-and-goal from the five-yard line when Herbert rolled to his right and threw a pass to Hayden Hurst, but he dropped it. If Hurst makes the catch, he walks into the end zone.
Two drives later, Herbert faced 3rd-and-5 from the Titans 19-yard line when he threw a pass in the end zone to Dissly, but it hit off his hands for an incompletion.
Those kinds of mistakes hamper an offense. Luckily, it didn't cost them on Sunday, but against Cincinnati, Baltimore, Atlanta and Kansas City— it could mark the difference.
The Chargers' fourth offensive drive started with a flea flicker to Palmer from Herbert that went for 36 yards. Roman decided to run the next seven plays with a mixture of Dobbins and Edwards. The Chargers faced another fourth down at the Tennessee 4-yard line, but they went for it this time. Herbert found the opening and juked out a T'Vondre Sweat tackle to score a touchdown. That put them up 13-7.
After a Titans punt, the Chargers had around 40 seconds and two timeouts to try to score some points before the half. It almost hurt them. Herbert dropped back, but as he was trying to throw the football, Jeffery Simmons hit his arm, causing a fumble, which cornerback Roger McCreary ran back for a 20-yard touchdown.
The referees reviewed the play while Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh argued that Herbert's arm was coming forward. The replay shows Herbert using his strength, holding onto the ball and making a throwing motion. It was ruled an incomplete pass. Titans head coach Brian Callahan was livid while Harbaugh celebrated the call.
“Yes, when his hand was moving forward, he had control," NFL VP of Instant Replay Mark Butterworth said in tn the PFWA Pool Report. "It was tight and we were going frame by frame and as his hand was moving forward, he had control and then lost it. So we overturned it to an incomplete pass.”
Coming out of halftime, Levis drove his team 62 yards on 11 plays, chewing up a little over seven minutes of the clock. They moved the ball with long runs and good pocket movement from Levis. Folk kicked a 27-yard field goal to get them to within a three-point deficit at 13-10.
Derius Davis started the following drive with a 56-yard kickoff return to give the offense a start at the Tennessee 43-yard line. Herbert faced a 3rd-and-8 from the Titans 16 when he found former teammate Kenneth Murray covering Quentin Johnston and found him for a 14-yard touchdown reception. Johnston's fifth touchdown reception of the season gave the Chargers the 20-10 lead.
“He’s incredible,” Harbaugh said of Herbert. “You run out of adjectives. Guardian of victory for our football team. In awe, really, most of the time.”
Ric Tapia - The Sporting Tribune
Quentin Johnston #1 of the Los Angeles Chargers celebrates during the second half against the Tennessee Titans at SoFi Stadium on November 10, 2024 in Inglewood, California.
The defense got things going on the following Titans' drive when Tuli Tuipulotu sacked Levis on second down, and Joey Bosa got him on third down. Tulipulotu had zero sacks going into the week eight matchup against New Orleans, but he has 5.5 sacks in the last three games.
On the Chargers' next drive, running back Hassan Haskins, a former Titan, scored his first career touchdown on a one-yard handoff to put the Chargers up 27-10. Herbert drove the team 95 yards on 11 plays, taking 7:10 on the clock. It was a long drive that tired out the Titans' defense. The highlight play was a 36-yard catch-and-run by Ladd McConkey.
They did allow a second touchdown reception to Ridley to end the game, but that was another game in which the defense gave up less than 20 points.
In November and December, teams want to show how good they are. The Chargers are riding a three-game win streak. In these next four games, they need to show that their team is legit and can compete with playoff teams.
"We just need to keep doing what we have been doing, communicating with each other and we will like what we see," safety Derwin James said.