Justin Herbert hit Austin Ekeler on a 1-yard touchdown pass with 12 seconds remaining, then found Gerald Everett on a two-point conversion pass as the Los Angeles Chargers bypassed overtime and pulled off a 25-24 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday in Glendale, Ariz.
The Chargers (6-5) punted on their first three fourth-quarter possessions but finished off a seven-play, 38-yard drive in the final two minutes following a 20-yard punt return from DeAndre Carter.
Herbert was 35-of-47 passing for 274 yards and three touchdowns for the Chargers, who ended a two-game losing streak. Carter had a career-best seven catches for 73 yards and a score on a day that the Los Angeles rushing attack was held to 65 yards, including just 27 from the team’s running backs.
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray played well in his return after missing two games with a hamstring injury, going 18 of 29 with 191 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Murray also had a rushing TD, while James Conner had 120 yards rushing.
Murray hit Conner on a 6-yard TD pass with 13:31 remaining to give the Cardinals a 24-17 lead. But Arizona (4-8) managed just 16 yards combined on its next three possessions, punting each time.
The Cardinals jumped out to a 10-0 lead less than a minute into the second quarter, getting a 33-yard touchdown from Murray to DeAndre Hopkins late in the first quarter followed by a 43-yard field goal from Matt Prater. Hopkins had four catches for 87 yards, while Marquise Brown had six catches for 46 yards.
After punts on their first three possessions, the Chargers found the end zone with 8:51 before halftime when Allen caught a 2-yard pass from Herbert as Los Angeles pulled within 10-7.
The Chargers took a 14-10 lead with 4:28 left in the half when Herbert found Carter on a 33-yard scoring pass. But the Cardinals moved back in front 17-14 with 12 seconds remaining in the half when Murray scored on a 5-yard run.
The Chargers got even at 17-17 on Cameron Dicker’s 26-yard field goal with 4:28 remaining in the third quarter.
Chargers running back Austin Ekeler had 20 yards rushing on five carries and added 11 receptions for 60 yards.
–Field Level Media