Justin Herbert leads Los Angeles Chargers to win over Cleveland Browns in wild finish
A college football game broke out in Week 5 of the NFL on Sunday.
Not really, but the Los Angeles Chargers and Cleveland Browns collaborated to put together an electric bout – which the Chargers won 47-42 – that could have passed for a battle in the Big 12 Conference.
Consider that final score, remembering that it was 27-21 in favor of the Browns heading into the fourth quarter, and there is a lot to unpack from the game's final 15 minutes of regulation.
With 41 combined points scored in the fourth quarter, let's fast forward and pick up the action there.
The Chargers struck first in the fourth, with Justin Herbert finding Mike Williams for a 42-yard score to make it 28-27.
Baker Mayfield and the Browns answered less than a minute later, as the QB spotted David Njoku for a 71-yard catch-and-run to the end zone. A successful two-point conversion by the Browns made it 35-28.
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The Chargers responded with an 11-play touchdown drive to even things up before the Browns answered back with a Kareem Hunt touchdown to restore their seven-point lead.
On the ensuing possession, the Chargers – that's right, you guessed it – responded with another touchdown.
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However, kicker Tristan Vizcaino missed the extra-point attempt, his second miss of the day on the PAT, to keep the score 42-41. A rare but important series of defense from Los Angeles forced a Browns' three-and-out with just more than two minutes to play.
Herbert played masterfully on the drive, marching 48 yards in 31 seconds for yet another TD. Funnily enough, the seventh – and final – lead change of the game was intentional from the Browns, who helped carry Chargers running back Austin Ekeler into the end zone, rather than allow LA to milk the clock for a short game-winning field goal.
That bit of quick thinking left about a minute and a half on the clock for the Cleveland to try to add more fireworks to the grande finale, but the Browns ultimately turned the ball over on downs.
From there, Herbert went into the victory formation and the Chargers earned a wild 47-42 victory to improve to 4-1 and drop the Browns to 3-2.
The 89 combined points were the most scored in any game this season, as were the total yards (1,024). For the hard-luck Browns, they became the first team in NFL history to lose when scoring at least 40 points and having zero turnovers, per Elias Sports.
From a standout standpoint, it's hard to find a brighter performance than Herbert's. The second-year quarterback was magnificent for Los Angeles, completing 26 of his 43 pass attempts for 398 yards, four touchdowns, zero interceptions and a passer rating of 122.0.
He also rushed for 29 yards and a score and was instrumental in the Chargers going a perfect three-for-three on fourth-down conversions.
Over the past three weeks, Herbert has accounted for 12 touchdowns and has zero turnovers, adding to the phenomenal promise he showed in his debut season as the Offensive Rookie of the Year.
His Chargers look like contenders in the loaded AFC.
And the Browns are right there with them, even with the loss.
Mayfield went 23-for-32 for 305 yards and a pair of TDs, leaning heavily on a vaunted rushing attack. Nick Chubb toted the rock 21 times for 161 yards and a touchdown, and Hunt chipped in with 12 carries for 61 yards and two scores.
With numbers like these, perhaps it was fitting that NBA legend LeBron James was in attendance for the fastbreak affair Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
There are plenty of heavyweights in the AFC, including the likes of Patrick Mahomes' Kansas City Chiefs and Josh Allen's Buffalo Bills, but the Browns and Chargers showed Sunday they're more than capable of bringing the heat.
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