The Los Angeles Chargers are off to their best start in six years, thanks to solid play from quarterback Justin Herbert and a strong defense.
Herbert threw for one touchdown and ran for another, and the Chargers’ defense recorded seven sacks in their 27-17 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, marking their third consecutive victory.
The Chargers are now 6-3, their best record since starting 7-2 in 2018. They have won four of their last five games, surpassing their total win count from last season.
“A complete, total team win. When you look at the offense, the drives that we put together … tough, gritty type of conversions on third down and fourth down,” coach Jim Harbaugh said. “They’re playing lights out on the defensive side. And then special teams, another big return by our punt return unit.”
Herbert completed 14 of 18 passes for 164 yards and also ran for 32 yards. He is the seventh quarterback since the NFL-AFL merger, and the first since Philip Rivers in 2018, to have a passer rating of at least 90 in each of the first nine games of the season.
The Chargers’ defense, which is allowing just 13.1 points per game — the lowest in the league — has become one of the top defenses in recent history. It is the fourth defense since 1990, and the first since the 2013 Kansas City Chiefs, to allow 20 or fewer points in each of its first nine games.
“Rush and coverage. We have some of the best rushers in the league and that allows us to make plays,” said safety Derwin James.
The Titans (2-7) came into the game with the NFL’s top-ranked defense, both overall and against the pass, but they could only force the Chargers into two three-and-outs on nine possessions.
Calvin Ridley scored both of Tennessee’s touchdowns, finishing with five catches for 84 yards. Will Levis, back after missing three games due to a shoulder injury, completed 18 of 23 passes for 175 yards, but the Titans’ offense struggled under pressure, thanks to the Chargers’ defense.
“It was a nice start. It was cool to get the ball downfield and get that shot dialed up, something we’ve been waiting on,” Levis said. “Second half, I think for me personally, a couple situations where I could have just got the ball out of my hands earlier, help the line with pressure.”
Herbert gave the Chargers a 13-7 lead with 1:55 left in the first half, running for a 4-yard touchdown off right tackle on a fourth-and-1 play.
“I thought we did a great job from start to the end being able to move the ball, run the ball, pass the ball however we needed to move it,” Herbert said. “I thought the guys up front did an incredible job and to be able to put that together against a very good opponent, it means a lot to me.”
The game turned in the final seconds of the first half. The Titans thought they had tied the game at 13 when Roger McCreary returned a Herbert fumble 20 yards for a touchdown. However, after a replay review, the call was overturned, as officials determined that Herbert’s arm was moving forward when he lost the ball, making it an incomplete pass.
Titans coach Brian Callahan was furious with the reversal, stating that officials initially told him the call would stand before changing it after reviewing the play with the replay center in New York.
“I’ll let you guys decide what you think the call should have been, but I don’t want to lose any money,” Callahan said.
Harbaugh and Herbert both agreed that the call was a crucial moment. “To be able to go to halftime with the lead and to avoid a play like that is big time,” Herbert said.
In the second half, the Chargers took control. Herbert extended the lead to 20-10 with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Quentin Johnston in the right corner of the end zone with three minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Hassan Haskins, who previously played for Tennessee, sealed the win with a 1-yard touchdown run. His score capped an 11-play, 95-yard drive that took up seven minutes.
“It was just steady. It’s like death by a thousand paper cuts when you play that way, and we kind of gave up just enough yards every time on a 95-yard drive to allow them to go punch it in for seven when we had them backed up on the 5,” said Titans coach Brian Callahan.
