Three weeks into the NFL season and already the Chargers have planted a flag atop the AFC West — and a Mt. Rushmore collection of coaches.
They dispatched of the Denver Broncos on Sunday, after beating the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders in the previous two weeks.
If you’re keeping a scorecard, those are wins over Andy Reid, Pete Carroll and now Sean Payton, all Super Bowl winners, in a historic start for Jim Harbaugh, who is quick to remind people not to “put me on that dance floor” because he has yet to win a ring.
But Sunday’s 23-20 triumph might have been the most impressive considering the Chargers were flat as day-old soda for a considerable stretch yet still found a way to come back and win.
“It’s a signature win,” said Harbaugh, whose 3-0 start matches the club’s best since 2002.
His team’s first home game of the season, when the SoFi Stadium stands were mostly orange, had the Chargers taking a 10-0 lead before surrendering 17 unanswered points that left them chasing the entire second half.
The game-tying touchdown was a beauty, a sidearmed, cross-body, 20-yard sling by Justin Herbert to ageless receiver Keenan Allen, who was blanketed in the end zone yet still came up with the catch.
“I was lower than he was,” Allen said of cornerback Riley Moss. “I put my hands out there and the ball just kind of stuck.”
Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen, right, celebrates with tight end Oronde Gadsden II after catching a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter Sunday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Everyone in the stadium watched in amazement. Everyone, that is, but Herbert. He was on the ground, so he didn’t see the touchdown but heard it.
“I’m sure it was an incredible catch by Keenan,” said the quarterback, who planned to watch the replays when he got home Sunday evening. “The defender wasn’t looking. That’s advantage Keenan.”
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Sam Farmer breaks down what has gone right for the Chargers over the course of their 3-0 start to the season.
That play locked the score at 20-20, but it was the ultra-accurate Cameron Dicker who broke that tie a couple minutes later with a 43-yard field goal as the clock expired. It was the eighth winning kick of his career and extinguished a remarkable effort by the Broncos, who sacked Herbert five times and pulled off the most creative touchdown in Payton’s two-season tenure with the team.
The play in question came with 46 seconds left in the first half with Denver trailing, 10-0, and facing a fourth-and-two at their 48.
Denver gave every indication it planned to run, and the Chargers called timeout to prepare their defense. When the Broncos emerged from the timeout, they loaded up the right side of their line with both starting tackles and a tight end between them. The ball was definitely going to that side.
Quarterback Bo Nix rolled right then surprised everyone by throwing left to a wide-open Courtland Sutton who essentially was ignored by defenders and raced untouched 52 yards for a score. It was the longest Broncos touchdown pass on fourth down since 1978 and a testament to the play-drawing artistry of Payton.
“He’s a master at scheming it up,” said Chargers safety Tony Jefferson, in his 11th season. “Ever since I got into the league, I’ve played the Saints so much [Payton’s former team] and you’ve always got to be on your P’s and Q’s with them.”
The Chargers had to watch their P’s and Q’s, and their old J.K. — running back J.K. Dobbins, who played for them last season and Sunday made them pay. He caught a screen pass for the Broncos at the beginning of the second half and turned it upfield for a 19-yard touchdown. He dashed down the sideline as if sprinting on a tightrope before diving across the goal line to give Denver its first lead of the day.
Cameron Dicker kicks the winning field goal as time expires in the Chargers’ 23-20 win over the Broncos on Sunday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Payton lamented his team’s slow start and the 10 penalties, compared to three for the Chargers.
“Tomorrow’s an important day,” he told reporters afterward. “Tomorrow’s more important than the game we just played. Because we’re in this accelerated … we’ve got to get better fast. And if we do, I think this will be all right.”
Whereas Dobbins led all rushers with 83 yards, the Chargers are still looking to get their ground attack rolling. That just got a lot tougher as the team lost veteran running back Najee Harris to an ankle injury in the second quarter. He had to be helped off the field, and the replays were cover-your-eyes cringeworthy, although the severity of his injury was not disclosed.
That piles even more of the running burden onto the shoulders of rookie first-round pick Omarion Hampton, who ran for 70 yards in 19 carries including his first NFL touchdown, from three yards out.
The Chargers, who had to reshuffle their offensive line with the loss of left tackle Rashawn Slater before the season, had to do so again Sunday when right guard Mekhi Becton sustained a concussion.
Those are the realities of the game, though, just as the Chargers already had to adjust to losing edge rusher Khalil Mack (shoulder) as well as defensive backs Elijah Molden (hamstring) and Cam Hart (hip).
Chargers linebacker Troy Dye (43) tackles Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin in the third quarter Sunday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
“That’s the unfortunate part of the NFL,” Herbert said. “You’re going to have to deal with adversity.”
Against the Broncos, the Chargers dealt with it and wound up on top. That makes this victory particularly impactful, a touchstone that Harbaugh and others can point to in future high-pressure situations.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if this does a lot for morale, and that was already high,” said Harbaugh, adding his team has “gravel in our gut.”
With that in mind, they have sent an unambiguous message to their three division foes: kick rocks.
