It took quite a while, but the Los Angeles Chargers finally got themselves a comfortable win. The Chargers entered this game at 2-4, with five of their first six games -- and both of their victories -- having been decided by one score. But they jumped on the Chicago Bears early on Sunday night and cruised their way to a 30-13 win on "Sunday Night Football."
The Chargers got things started quickly, as Justin Herbert opened the game 15 of 15 for 142 yards and two touchdowns, finding Austin Ekeler on a screen pass and Simi Fehoko on a crossing route. Bears backup Tyson Bagent eventually acquitted himself fine, but he helped dig Chicago into a 17-0 hole with an interception, and by the time his team found the end zone late in the first half, it already seemed like they were down by too much to make a comeback.
Los Angeles scored on each of its first five drives of the game, with three touchdowns and two field goals eventually staking the Chargers to a 27-7 advantage late in the third quarter. Even after the Chargers punted for the first time, they came away with a fourth-down stop on the ensuing Chicago drive. L.A.'s defensive line finished the evening with only one sack, but it consistently kept the Chicago run game bottled up as Roschon Johnson and D'Onta Foreman combined for only 55 yards on 15 carries (3.7 per rush).
The Chargers were never seriously threatened in the second half of the game, which was probably a nice change of pace for the people in that locker room. They've usually been in much closer battles, and being able to relax a bit and not have to frantically stage a comeback at the end of the game had to feel good.
Here are a few more things to know about this game...
They are an awful lot more talented, and their quarterback was on fire. Herbert started the game 15-for-15 for 142 yards and two touchdowns, and after the second score, it honestly felt like the game was just about over. He completed passes to seven different targets during that run, with Ekeler and Simi Fehoko finding the end zone. Even after the Bears finally got on the board for the first time, Herbert came right back and went 6-for-9 for 70 yards and a touchdown to push the lead back to three scores. By the end of the night, he completed 31 of 40 for 294 yards and three scores, and the Chargers didn't need much more than that.
They had no answers on defense, and not enough talent on offense. The Chargers moved the ball pretty much at will throughout the evening. They drove 92 yards for a touchdown on their opening drive and 55 yards for another on their second drive, and then Tyson Bagent was intercepted with the team already down 14-0. By then, the Bears had dug themselves a pretty deep hole and there was really no crawling out of it. Without Justin Fields and Khalil Herbert (among others), they just did not have enough explosiveness to stage a serious comeback. It didn't help that L.A. also kept scoring on its own possessions.
It really might have been the first play of the game. Bagent found Darnell Mooney streaking up the right sideline for a 41-yard gain. He laid out to grab the ball, and he wasn't touched. The whistle didn't blow. And he got up and started running ... sort of. And a defender chased him ... sort of.
But then the official in the area looked back toward the middle of the field and blew the play dead, giving Chicago the ball back at the point where he first hit the ground. It was all downhill for the Bears from there.
It didn't turn into all that much, but this play looked really cool. The Chargers went with a flea-flicker, tight end screen early in the first quarter, and they got a first down out of it.
There were plenty of other plays that mattered throughout this contest, but none that looked as cool as that one. (Even if it did seem to get a little bit thrown off.)
The Chargers improve to 3-4 with the win, but they still trail the division-leading Kansas City Chiefs by multiple games and remain on the outside of the AFC playoff picture looking in. They travel to East Rutherford, New Jersey, to play the Jets on "Monday Night Football" next week.
The Bears drop to 2-6 and remain in last place in the NFC North. They travel to New Orleans to take on the Saints next week. They could be a team to watch ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline, given that it looks like their season will be more about draft position than wins and losses.
The Bears aren't using their timeouts here, which is a surprise. They are down three scores so it's pretty unlikely that they could stage a comeback, but you still usually see teams burn the timeouts in this situation so they can at least get the ball back.
Almost an all-time Chargering right there on the onside kick. They had two guys run into each other. But the ball squirted through and they managed to recover it. Now they just need a first down (maybe two) to run out the clock.
Bears in the end zone and now they're trying to cut the lead to two scores with a two-point conversion.
Unsuccessful tush push from the Bears on first-and-goal. We saw that play fail for the Eagles earlier today as well, too.
Cole Kmet has caught all 10 of his targets tonight for 79 yards. Bagent is otherwise 14 of 26 for 145 yards and two picks.
Big play for the Bears defense, getting a strip of Austin Ekeler on the screen pass. Looks like it was Justin Jones who came away with the strip. They'll get a chance to get another score here.
Hey there's a nice play from Quentin Johnston. That's not usually his M.O. He's more of a YAC generator than a contested catch guy but he made one right there.
And then Derwin James actually does get the interception to end the drive on fourth down. This one is pretty much over, and all that's left to answer is who's going to get the garbage time stats.
Asante Samuel almost had a pick to end the previous drive, and almost had another one right there.
Chargers playing some soft zone defense right now and allowing Bagent to check it down for decent gains. Bears are moving toward scoring territory now.
Actually they came up short. So the Bears decline and get the ball. Chargers topped on back-to-back short-yardage runs. That situation is a real problem for them.
The Chargers came into this game 25th in the NFL on third- or fourth0-and-1 runs at 58.3%. They just got stopped on third-and-1 and seemingly converted on fourth-and-1, but a flag is canceling that one out.
I have no idea how that's not intentional grounding on Justin Herbert. Austin Ekeler was "in the area" but he was clearly blocking.
And most of that has come on just two runs, with Foreman breaking a 12-yard carry and Johnson gaining 11 yards on his longest run of the night.
Everybody is usually able to run on the Chargers, but that hasn't really been the case for the Bears tonight. D'Onta Foreman and Roschon Johnson have combined for 55 yards on 15 carries. That's less than 4 yards a pop.
D.J. Moore is a baller, man. Not getting a ton of opportunities due to the flow of this game but he has generally made the most of them when he's touched the ball.
Boy Herbert got CRACKED on that third-down play. And it sure looked like Keenan Allen was interfered with on the back end. Alas, no call, and the Chargers will attempt another field goal.
Joey Bosa has been fantastic in this game. Not sure why you would want to block him with a tight end in that situation, but it did not work at all.
This will be the first drive where the Chargers do not come away with a score. They'd opened with three touchdowns and two field goals. Bears get another shot to get back into the game now.
Herbert got a little greedy with that one. Keenan Allen was double-covered down the field. Tyrique Stevenson made a nice play on the back end.
Oh man, Eric Kendricks almost came down with that one. Bagent beat him with a couple of really nice throws earlier, and Kendricks almost got him back but couldn't quite come down with it. Three or four Chargers would have had a chance to pick that off given how much traffic Bagent threw into.
Donald Parham is just a huge dude. He did a great job breaking a tackle to score toward the end of the first half, but right there he showed off his athleticism on that third-down conversion.
Well that play looked like a disaster from the start. But the Chargers get a free five yards out of it on the offside call. Should note that center Corey Linsley remains out for L.A., so it's backup Will Clapp snapping the ball.
Chargers convert on the third-and-6. If they can turn this drive into a touchdown, it might pretty much put this game to bed.
Terrific answer drive by the Chargers to get back in the end zone before the break. Herbert has just been on fire the entire half.
That's where Johnston is really at his best: creating yards after the catch with the ball in his hands. Chargers need to figure out a way to get him on the move instead of running so many stationary routes.
