The Chargers entered Sunday’s game with one of the league’s worst defenses, particularly against the run.
But without three key starters in safety Derwin James, cornerback Bryce Callahan, and defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day, Los Angeles shut down Tua Tagovailoa and Miami’s explosive offense to the tune of a 23-17 victory.
For the second consecutive week, Tagovailoa was bad against a West Coast opponent. He was just 3-of-15 passing at halftime for 25 yards. He finished the game 10-of-28 for 145 yards with a touchdown.
Not that Tagovailoa had many completions, but one of his few accurate throws went to receiver Tyreek Hill for a 60-yard touchdown in the third quarter. That made the score 17-14 Chargers.
But that three-point margin would be brief. Los Angeles drove down and got a field goal to make the score 20-14. Then in the fourth quarter, Los Angeles used a 17-play drive to take up 8:39 off the clock and kick a field goal to make it a two-possession game with just 2:40 left in the contest.
With no timeouts, the Dolphins got a 55-yard field goal to make the score 23-17 with 1:10 left. But they didn’t recover the ensuing onside kick, and the Chargers were able to kneel out a victory.
Justin Herbert played clean, efficient football, finishing 39-of-51 for 367 yards with a touchdown. He set a new career-high in completions.
Having Mike Williams and Keenan Allen healthy on the field at the same time no doubt helped. Williams caught all six of his targets for 116 yards with a touchdown. Allen had 12 catches on 14 targets for 92 yards.
It was tough sledding for Austin Ekeler running it, as he had just 45 yards on 15 carries. But he had a 1-yard touchdown at the end of the second quarter that capped a 13-play, 90-yard drive on fourth down. And he caught eight passes for 59 yards.
But Tagovailoa’s ineffectiveness downed the Dolphins from the start. Without the bomb to Hill, he would’ve been he’s 5-of-21 for 52 yards with 11:19 left in the fourth quarter.
Hill played through the second half with an ankle injury. Running back Jeff Wilson also suffered a hip injury in the first half and didn’t return.
Having lost their last two games, the Dolphins will once again be on the road in Week 15. But they have a particularly short week, as they’ll fly home to Florida on Sunday night and play at Buffalo next Saturday.
The Chargers winning improved the team’s record to 7-6 and kept the Chiefs from clinching the AFC West. They’ll host the 7-6 Titans next week.
