INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers finally have their signature win.
Even if it ended up being a white-knuckle finish.
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The Chargers squandered a 21-point third-quarter lead Sunday night against the Cincinnati Bengals before J.K. Dobbins rushed for a 29-yard touchdown with 18 seconds remaining to give Los Angeles a 34-27 victory.
“Great team win! It was awesome,” a boisterous Harbaugh said as he started his postgame remarks.
After its offense stalled for most of the second half, Los Angeles went 84 yards on four plays in 26 seconds on the decisive drive. Ladd McConkey, who had six receptions for a career-high 123 yards, had 28- and 27-yard grabs before Dobbins scored on a run up the left sideline for his second touchdown of the game.
With Cincinnati down to one timeout, Dobbins could have gone down inside the Cincinnati 10-yard line and set up a field goal by Cameron Dicker on the final play. However, the mentality before first-and-10 after the Bengals called their second timeout was to score if the opportunity was there.
“Well, first, Bradley Bozeman was, like, ‘F it, go score.’ I’m like, `All right, I hear you," said Dobbins, who had 56 yards on 11 carries. "So I went to the sideline, I asked (running backs) coach (Kiel) McDonald, like, `You want me to score here? He said, ‘F it, go score.’ So knew I was going to score. Like when we lined up, I just had a feeling I was going to go score. And that’s what happened.”
Joe Burrow got Cincinnati to the Chargers 43 in the final seconds with a 27-yard completion, but his final two throws fell incomplete. Derwin James Jr. leaped at the goal line and batted down a Hail Mary headed right for Tee Higgins on the final play to preserve the Chargers' fourth straight win.
Justin Herbert passed for 297 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for 65 yards as the Chargers improved to 7-3 for the first time since 2018.
The defense allowed a season-high 27 points and had its string of games holding opponents to 20 points or fewer snapped at nine, but it got a win over a top-flight offense. Burrow leads the league in passing yards and touchdowns while Ja'Marr Chase is the NFL's leading receiver.
“We battle tested, and guys in this locker room want to win, man," James said.
It was another excruciating loss for the Bengals (4-7). They have five defeats by seven points or fewer.
Joe Burrow passed for 356 yards and three touchdowns, while Chase had 75 yards on seven catches and two touchdowns.
Kicker Evan McPherson had two chances in the fourth quarter to give the Bengals the lead, but was wide left from 48 and 51 yards.
“We’ve played some really good football teams, and we’ve just got to find a way to finish,” coach Zac Taylor said. “I keep saying that, and obviously we’re a play away every time I say it. I’ve still got the confidence that we can get this thing done.”
Cincinnati trailed 27-6 in the third quarter but scored on three straight drives in a 13-minute span to tie the game. The first two scores came on fourth-down plays.
Burrow hit Chase on a slant on fourth-and-goal from the LA 4 to get the Bengals within two scores. Higgins then got behind Elijah Molden and Ja’Sir Taylor on fourth-and-2 for a 42-yard touchdown to make it 27-20.
Higgins — who missed the last three games with a quad injury — had nine receptions for 148 yards and a TD
The Bengals tied it at 27 with 12:21 remaining when Chase hauled in a 17-yard TD.
Burrow was 16 of 30 for 245 yards during the three scoring drives and two possessions that ended with missed field goals.
“I just think it was a tough loss. The first half didn’t go our way. We fought back, had our opportunities to seal the deal, and we didn’t,” said Burrow, who completed 28 of 50 passes.
After Dicker's 53-yard field goal early in the second half put the Chargers up by three touchdowns, Los Angeles' offense had three three-and-outs, a turnover and 47 net yards in five series before its touchdown in the final minute.
Herbert completed nine of his first 10 passes but was eight of 26 the rest of the way. He was two of 12 for 30 yards on the five aforementioned series.
“The defense did a great job getting stops and they got us the ball back when we needed it,” Herbert said. “We knew we had to go make a play. It came down to the final drive. Ladd made a couple big catches and J.K. with that huge run. Props to the guys for sticking through it.”
The Chargers jumped out to a 24-6 lead at halftime. Herbert connected with Will Dissly for a 29-yard touchdown. It was the longest reception for the tight end since Week 1 in 2022, when he had a 38-yard score for Seattle.
Cincinnati got another field goal before Quentin Johnston caught a 26-yard TD from Herbert to make it 14-6 less than four minutes into the second quarter. It is the sixth touchdown for Johnston and the third straight game he has reached the end zone.
Los Angeles extended its lead to 24-6 at halftime with two scores in the final five minutes. After Dobbins scored on fourth-and-goal, Cameron Dicker hit a 19-yard field goal on the final play of the half.
Injuries
Bengals: CB DJ Turner II left with a shoulder injury in the third quarter. ... OT Orlando Brown Jr. missed his third straight game due to knee and leg injuries, and defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins (illness) was inactive.
Chargers: CB Cam Hart suffered a concussion in the second half and did not return. LB Denzel Perryman left in the fourth quarter due to a groin injury. ... LB Khalil Mack (groin) was inactive. It was the first game Mack has missed since joining the Chargers in 2022.
Up next
Bengals: After a bye, host Pittsburgh on Dec. 1.
Chargers: Host Baltimore on Monday, Nov. 25 in the third matchup between coach Jim Harbaugh and his older brother, John.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl