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Six plays, 52 yards and a 43-yard game-winning field goal for the Chargers. Great win for Brandon Staley and Co.
The Los Angeles Chargers moved to 8-6 on Sunday with a 17-14 win over the Tennessee Titans. Justin Herbert led a game-winning drive with just 48 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, going 52 yards on five plays to set up the 43-yard Cameron Dicker field goal that kept L.A. in the win column. This victory for the Chargers helps them keep pace in the crowded AFC playoff picture, while the Titans leave the door open for the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC South.
Herbert threw two interceptions in a game for the first time since Dec. 26, 2021, but he finished Sunday's outing completing 28 of 42 passes for 313 yards. Keenan Allen was his favorite target, as he caught eight of nine targets for 86 yards.
Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill injured his ankle on Tennessee's first drive of the game and was carted to the locker room, but returned after just one drive and played the rest of the game. He completed 15 of 22 passes for 165 yards and one interception, but did punch in the game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Derrick Henry rushed 21 times for 104 yards and one touchdown, and led the Titans in receiving with four catches for 59 yards.
The Titans are flailing down the stretch, and this four-game losing streak matches their longest such skid since 2015. Let's take a look at what went down in Inglewood on Sunday.
Why the Chargers won
It says a lot that Herbert shook off two interceptions to lead a game-winning drive with just 48 seconds remaining. To everyone who was on Twitter saying the Chargers were "Chargering," take that! Herbert came up when it mattered most, both Allen and Mike Williams made big plays in the passing game and then the defense made life tough for Tannehill -- sacking him four times.
Herbert's clutchness was a reason for this win, but 17 points aren't going to be enough to win every game you play in. L.A.'s defense played solid ball, as Tennessee's offense put together arguably just two solid drives all afternoon.
Why the Titans lost
Dennis Daley and Nicholas Petit-Frere struggled with L.A.'s pass rushers, Henry had over 57 percent of Tennessee's total yards while the Titans wide receivers combined for just 32 yards, Tennessee got to the red zone just twice and went 3 of 11 on third downs. That's just not going to cut it offensively. Tennessee entered this matchup with what was statistically the fourth-worst offense in the NFL, and its standing in the league is only going to fall after what happened in Week 15.
Fans are sick of ignoring the issue at left tackle, Todd Downing's play-calling could be much better and then the injuries just continue to mount. Sunday's game itself wasn't an utter disaster, but the fact that Tennessee has lost four straight and is facing the reality of potentially not making the postseason is certainly disaster-like.
Turning point
The Chargers started off their eventual game-winning drive in great fashion. Herbert hit Williams for 16 yards, and then found Gerald Everett for 6 yards. Then came the big play -- a 35-yard pass to Williams.
Check out the pass and the catch on this play. Herbert truly has special chemistry with Allen AND Williams.
Play of the game
It appeared the Chargers were prepared to break the 7-7 tie right before the halftime break. L.A. was at Tennessee's 25-yard line with 12 seconds remaining in the second quarter, and Herbert threw up a pass to Williams in the end zone. Titans rookie cornerback Roger McCreary intercepted the ball while going out of bounds, and threw it back in bounds to teammate Joshua Kalu, who secured the interception with both feet inbounds. It was a pretty big play, as it kept the Chargers from scoring any points before halftime.
It's interesting, as CBS Sports rules analyst Gene Steratore said that if McCreary pushed the ball forward to Kalu, it would have resulted in an illegal batting penalty.
Quotable
"It don't look like we're a team right now that's going to beat anybody. So we gotta find a way to get back to work and beat Houston." -- Titans safety Kevin Byard, via Paul Kuharsky.
What's next
The Titans return to Nashville next week to host the rival Houston Texans. The Texans gave the Kansas City Chiefs a game earlier on Sunday, before ultimately falling in overtime, 30-24. As for the Chargers, they hit the road to take on the Indianapolis Colts on Monday night. The Colts of course just allowed the largest comeback in NFL history to the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday, blowing a 33-0 halftime lead.
