For the first 30 minutes of Sunday night’s matchup between the Bengals and Chargers, Los Angeles was in firm control.
The Chargers even extended their lead to 27-6 with a 53-yard field goal early in the third quarter.
But while Cincinnati tied the game at 27 apiece and had two opportunities for a go-ahead field goal in the fourth quarter, Los Angles ended up with a 34-27 victory.
Running back J.K. Dobbins put the ball in the box for the game-winning touchdown with 18 seconds left, giving Los Angeles points for the first time since 10:29 remained in the third quarter.
Cincinnati’s comeback effort began with the team’s second possession in the third quarter, with Ja’Marr Chase’s 4-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal. It was the first visit to the end zone for the Bengals in the game, as Evan McPherson had connected on field goals of 26 and 27 yards in the first half.
Then, Tee Higgins got into the act, catching a 42-yard touchdown on fourth-and-2 to narrow Cincinnati’s deficit to just seven points with 2:53 left in the third quarter.
While the Chargers looked like they were going to stop the bleeding early in the fourth quarter with the ball in Bengals territory, that didn’t happen. Justin Herbert scrambled on the first play of the period before linebacker Logan Wilson jarred the ball loose when tackling the quarterback.
Safety Geno Stone recovered the loose ball to give Cincinnati the extra possession — and the Bengals cashed in on that opportunity. Chase caught his second touchdown, this time on an off-schedule play for a 17-yard score to tie the game at 27-27 with 12:21 left in the fourth quarter.
The Bengals had a chance to score on four consecutive possessions but McPherson’s 48-yard field goal was no good, with the kick sailing wide left. That was McPherson’s fifth missed field goal of the season, his second miss from 40-49 yards.
But with the Chargers failing to move the ball yet again, the Bengals got another opportunity.
This time, McPherson missed a 51-yard attempt wide left — and it wasn’t close.
Los Angeles and Cincinnati traded punts inside two minutes, with the Chargers taking over at their own 16-yard line with 45 seconds on the clock and two timeouts. On the first play of the possession, Herbert connected with Ladd McConkey down the right side for a 29-yard gain to the team’s 45. Then Herbert threw a dime to McConkey on a deep crossing route to the left side for a 27-yard gain down to Cincinnati’s 29.
That’s when Dobbins took a handoff to the left and ran it in for the go-ahead score with 18 seconds on the clock.
Herbert had started off the game on fire, completing 6-of-6 passes for 123 yards with two touchdowns on Los Angeles’ first three possessions. But Cincinnati’s defense tightened up in the second half, as Herbert finished the game 17-of-36 for 297 yards with two TDs.
McConkey finished with six catches for 123 yards. Herbert was also the leading rusher with 65 yards on five carries — including a long of 30.
On the other side, Burrow went 28-of-50 for 356 yards with three touchdowns and no picks. Higgins caught nine passes for 148 yards with a touchdown, and Chase added seven receptions for 75 yards with two TDs.
With the win, the Chargers improve to 7-3 on the season and are in a strong position in the AFC. The club will have a brother vs. brother matchup next week as John Harbaugh and the Ravens come to town for Monday Night Football.
At a bitterly disappointing 4-7, the Bengals will have their bye in Week 12 before a home matchup against the Steelers in Week 13.
