J.K. Dobbins broke loose for a 29-yard rushing touchdown with 18 seconds to go and the Los Angeles Chargers escaped with a 34-27 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night in Inglewood, Calif.
Dobbins rushed for two touchdowns, including the tiebreaking score, to help Los Angeles (7-3) win its fourth straight game. Justin Herbert completed 17 of 36 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns, and Ladd McConkey led the team with six catches for 123 yards.
Joe Burrow completed 28 of 50 passes for 356 yards and three touchdowns for Cincinnati (4-7). Ja’Marr Chase caught two touchdown passes and Tee Higgins finished with nine catches for 148 yards and a score.
The Bengals erased a 21-point deficit in the second half to even the score at 27-all. Evan McPherson missed a pair of field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter that would have put Cincinnati on top.
Instead, Herbert and the Chargers delivered with a four-play, 84-yard scoring drive in the final minute. McConkey had a 28-yard reception and a 27-yard reception on the final drive before Dobbins finished it off with his touchdown run along the left sideline.
Los Angeles built a 27-6 lead with 10:29 to go in the third quarter, as Cameron Dicker drilled a 53-yard field goal.
The Bengals began their rally with a 4-yard touchdown pass from Burrow to Chase on fourth down. The score made it 27-13 with 5:27 left in the third quarter.
Burrow came up big once again when he heaved a pass to Higgins for a 42-yard score with 2:53 remaining in the third quarter. The do-or-die play came on fourth-and-2 and allowed the Bengals to pull within 27-20.
Cincinnati evened the score at 27-all on Chase’s second touchdown catch of the evening and his 12th of the season. He scored from 17 yards out with 12:21 to go in the game.
The Chargers led 24-6 at the half.
McPherson provided Cincinnati’s only points before the break with field goals from 26 yards and 27 yards out.
Los Angeles tallied its first touchdown on a 29-yard strike from Herbert to Will Dissly.
Herbert struck again to give the Chargers a 14-6 lead with 11:02 to go before halftime. He fired a 26-yard touchdown pass to Quentin Johnston, who celebrated with a backflip in the end zone.
Los Angeles made it 21-6 on a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Dobbins with 4:35 left in the first half.
Dicker finished the first-half scoring with a 19-yard field goal as time expired.