The Chargers’ pass protection has been rough, but that hasn’t stopped Justin Herbert from carving up the Browns’ secondary in the first half of Sunday’s matchup.
Los Angeles leads Cleveland 20-3 at halftime.
Herbert has taken advantage of a couple of coverage busts for long touchdowns. He first hit Joshua Palmer for a 28-yard touchdown in the first quarter, giving Los Angeles a 7-0 lead.
Then after Dustin Hopkins nailed a 38-yard field goal to get Cleveland on the board, Herbert found Quentin Johnston wide open for a 66-yard score. Cameron Dicker missed the extra point, keeping the score at 13-3.
J.K. Dobbins added a 16-yard run with 3:30 left in the second quarter to put L.A. up by 17.
Herbert was sacked six times in the first half, 3.0 coming from reigning AP defensive player of the year Myles Garrett. But he still finished the first two quarters 14-of-16 for 250 yards with two touchdowns and no picks — good for a flawless 158.3 passer rating.
Johnston leads with four catches for 118 yards with a touchdown.
On the other side, the Browns have gone back to struggling offensively. The team has just 57 total yards, is averaging 2.1 yards per play, and is 1-of-7 on third down. Quarterback Jameis Winston is 6-of-13 passing for 47 yards. Nick Chubb has 21 yards on seven carries.
The Browns will receive the second-half kickoff.
