The Chargers’ first drive in Sunday night’s matchup with the Bengals ended in a three-and-out.
Los Angeles was apparently upset with that outcome, as the club didn’t punt for the rest of the first 30 minutes and has a 24-6 lead at halftime.
Quarterback Justin Herbert has been playing some of his best football, starting the game 6-of-6 for 123 yards with two touchdowns. He didn’t throw an incompletion until there was 6:04 left in the second quarter, finishing the first half 10-of-14 for 183 yards with two TDs.
When he’s needed to, Herbert has taken off on scrambles. He leads the team with 58 yards rushing, averaging 14.5 yards per attempt with a long of 30 yards.
Will Dissly caught Herbert’s first touchdown pass, going down the seam for a 29-yard score. Quentin Johnston caught the second on a 26-yard strike in the second quarter.
Running back J.K. Dobbins had the third touchdown, scoring on fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line.
The Chargers added a 19-yard field goal to end the half. But as noted by NBC rules analyst Terry McAuley, that play likely should never have been run. Herbert fired a pass to no one from the pocket on second-and-goal from the 5-yard line, which should have been flagged for intentional grounding. The 10-second runoff resulting from the penalty would have ended the half.
But on the other side, the Chargers’ defense has done well to control the Bengals’ offense. Evan McPherson has hit two field goals of 26 and 27 yards. But as the second quarter continued, Cincinnati’s offense became more listless. The unit finished the quarter with a pair of three-and-outs.
Joe Burrow is 12-of-17 passing for 111 yards. Chase Brown has 29 yards on nine carries. Ja’Marr Chase has four catches for 49 yards.
The Chargers will receive the second-half kickoff with a chance to double up.
