Bolts From The Blue
The Chargers did not play a complete game, but they played great when it mattered most.
The Chargers offense was clicking in a way early against the Bengals that at times, you may have forgotten that there was a defense on the other side attempting to stop them. Justin Herbert was seemingly hitting chunk gains through the air one after the other. By early in the second quarter, the Bolts had a 27-6 advantage over Cincy that looked almost insurmountable the way the LA defense was playing.
But then the dam broke.
Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase led a furious comeback that completely wiped the 21-point deficit by the early moments of the fourth quarter. The two teams then traded drive after driver after drive with no one finding a way to put points on the board. This time was especially rough for the Bengals as Evan McPherson missed two field goals in the final quarter.
The Chargers ultimately crossed the field in a four-play, game-winning drive that was capped off by J.K. Dobbins’ 29-yard touchdown run with under a minute left in regulation. They won 34-27 and moved to 7-3 on the season which helps them keep pace with the rest of the AFC’s elite.
For their massive efforts in primetime, CBS Sports’ John Breech gave the Chargers a “B” letter grade. Here’s what he had to say:
“If it wasn’t clear before, it should be now: Jim Harbaugh has completely changed the culture for this team. The Chargers were once known for Chargering and after watching a 27-6 lead melt away in the second half, it looked like it might happen again, but this team showed it’s resilience. Justin Herbert bounced back from a rough second half to lead a game-winning TD drive in the final minute that was capped by J.K. Dobbins. Although he got bottled up for most of the night, Dobbins was able to escape for a game-winning 29-yard TD. Defensively, the Chargers kept constant pressure on Joe Burrow that led to three sacks and several erratic throws from the Bengals QB. This was the type of win that proves Harbaugh is ushering in a new era of Chargers football.”
The grade is understandable. If they had sustained their dominant play through a good chunk of the second half than an “A” would have been all but assured. But the defense faltered and the offense went dark for most of the final 30 minutes. Both sides did come through when it mattered most, however, and now here we are. Happy as a bunch of clams.
What do you all think of the grade from Breech? Is it too low? Just right? Let me know in the comments.
