Chargers start fast, unravel, and then get it together on defense to beat Bengals

Jeff Miller
·4 min read
Los Angeles Chargers' Tevaughn Campbell (20) celebrates a fumble recovery for a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
Chargers' Tevaughn Campbell (20) celebrates a game-changing fumble-recovery return for a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals. (Jeff Dean / Associated Press)

Kyzir White entered the postgame interview room with athletic tape dragging a few feet behind his left leg.

The image of the linebacker looking like a disheveled mummy couldn't have been more fitting on an afternoon when the Chargers nearly unraveled.

But White and his defensive cohorts rallied in the fourth quarter, producing two turnovers and scoring a momentum-clinching touchdown as the Chargers kept it together for a 41-22 victory over Cincinnati.

Two weeks ago at home, they blew a 27-10 fourth-quarter lead against Pittsburgh before scrambling back to win in the final minutes. This collapse was similar — but different.

“We got control in the fourth quarter,” coach Brandon Staley said. “We got control and then we put it back away. That’s what I was satisfied with.”

After opening a 24-0 lead barely 19 minutes into the game, the Chargers went to pieces with three turnovers in allowing the Bengals to score 22 consecutive points.

But then they won the final quarter 17-0 to quell the tension that had been building and claim the franchise’s most significant triumph since beating Baltimore in the playoffs following the 2018 season.

The result left both the Chargers and Bengals at 7-5 but gave the Chargers what could prove to be a key tie-breaking edge in January.

“In that second half, when it got really tight, we had some big stops," Staley said. "Then we finished the fourth quarter with a bagel. Just really, really proud of our defensive staff and players.”

The signature moment came on the third play of the final quarter, with the score 24-22 and Cincinnati having just advanced into Chargers territory. Bengals running back Joe Mixon fumbled and Tevaughn Campbell picked it up.

The cornerback has struggled in pass coverage at times this season and had a few more rough moments Sunday, but he was there to collect Mixon’s miscue and sprint 61 yards for a touchdown.

The defense then forced Cincinnati into a three-and-out — during which the Bengals went backward 10 yards — and the offense had the ball back just short of midfield.

Chargers' Uchenna Nwosu recovers a fumble by Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9).
Chargers' Uchenna Nwosu recovers a fumble by Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9). (Michael Conroy / Associated Press)

Four plays later — two of them long Justin Herbert completions — Austin Ekeler scored from a yard out to produce a 16-point lead and a chance to finally exhale.

The Chargers had avoided calamity by suddenly turning rock solid after teetering on the edge.

“There was no flinch,” Herbert said. “It’s the NFL. The teams are good.”

The Chargers sacked Joe Burrow six times, a franchise best since 2016. They came up with four turnovers, matching their season high. They stopped Cincinnati on each of its final six possessions.

The run defense, ranked last in the league, limited Mixon to 54 yards on 19 carries. The third-down defense, ranked 31st, stopped the Bengals on four of their final five attempts.

“Last week, we had a bad taste in our mouth,” White said of a Chargers loss in Denver. “We felt like we let the running backs get loose too much. We just wanted to accept the challenge this week.”

Edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu had a significant impact throughout the game, and especially early. He sacked Burrow on Cincinnati’s opening possession, forcing a fumble and then recovering it, setting up a Dustin Hopkins field goal.

Nwosu’s hit also left Burrow with what he afterward called a dislocated pinky, limiting the quarterback’s effectiveness for a stretch. Nwosu added a second sack later, matching his total for the season entering Sunday.

“He deserves so much credit,” Staley said. “He’s really settled in to his fundamentals and his assignments. … He’s been really close to kind of bursting a little bit. Today was one of those bursts.”

Herbert finished 26 of 35 for 317 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. He outlasted Burrow, who was 24 of 40 for 300 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions.

Burrow was the first overall selection in the 2020 draft. The Chargers took Herbert five picks later.

“Justin controlled the game,” Staley said. “He made a lot of big plays in the passing game.”

And then Herbert and the offense turned everything over to the defense, which rose up in time to grab a game there to be grabbed.

“Sometimes when it gets tight, your defense has to win the day,” Staley said. “When you’re on the road and it’s loud, your defense can get you the momentum back by shutting down a really prolific offense, and that’s what happened today.”

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • SNP's power-sharing deal with the Scottish Greens collapses

    It follows the government's decision to scrap key climate targets and its response to a review into gender services.

  • Tough new EPA rules would force coal-fired power plants to capture emissions or shut down

    Coal-fired power plants would be forced to capture smokestack emissions or shut down under a rule issued Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency. New limits on greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-fired electric plants are the Biden administration's most ambitious effort yet to roll back planet-warming pollution from the power sector, the nation’s second-largest contributor to climate change. The rules are a key part of President Joe Biden's pledge to eliminate carbon pollution from the electricity sector by 2035 and economy-wide by 2050.

  • Republican Senator Rubio calls for blocking of all US sales to Huawei

    Republican China hardliner Marco Rubio is calling on the Biden administration to block all sales to Huawei after the sanctioned Chinese tech company released a new AI-enabled laptop powered by an Intel AI processor chip. The release of Huawei's first AI-enabled laptop, the MateBook X Pro powered by Intel's new Core Ultra 9 processor, last week drew fire from Republican lawmakers, who said it suggests that the Commerce Department had given the greenlight to Intel to sell the chip to Huawei.

  • BBC’s Clive Myrie reacts to Huw Edwards’ resignation

    BBC’s Clive Myrie has responded to Huw Edwards’ resignation on Good Morning Britain.

  • Biden to announce preliminary deal with Micron for up to $6.14 billion in chip grants

    U.S. President Joe Biden will travel to Syracuse, New York, on Thursday to announce a preliminary agreement with memory chip maker Micron Technology for up to $6.14 billion in subsidies for two chip factories, the White House said. The agreement signed by the U.S. Commerce Department will fund facilities in New York and Idaho under the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, which aims to boost domestic manufacturing of chips and reduce reliance on supplies from China and Taiwan. The Commerce Department said the federal grants would support the construction of a fabrication plant, or fab, in Clay, New York, a first step toward Micron's plans to invest about $100 billion in New York and create 13,500 jobs.

  • Should Americans be worried about the border? The first Texas border czar says yes.

    Cartels weaponize immigration by controlling the flow of migrants across America's southern border, Texas' border czar Mike Banks says.

  • As Biden celebrates computer chip factories, voters wait for the promised production to start

    President Joe Biden has a great economic story to tell voters a decade from now, less so in 2024. On Thursday, the Democratic president will head to upstate New York to celebrate Micron Technology's plans to build a campus of computer chip factories made possible in part with government support. Staring down a rematch with Republican Donald Trump, Biden is asking voters to believe in a vision for the U.S. economy that is still largely a promise.

  • Little boy who lost his foot at 18 months now models for Primark, Amazon and Schuh

    A little boy who lost his foot at 18 months has become a model and now he travels the world posing for famous brands including Primark, Amazon and Schuh. Arlo Tate, nine, was diagnosed with fibular hemimelia - a missing fibula - at birth. An "abnormality" was picked up at his 20-week scan - but doctors were unsure what his condition was at the time. His right foot was bent inwards so doctors suggested his parents allow them amputate his foot so he could learn to walk with a prosthetic leg. Mum Naomi, 38, says walking with prosthesis was incredibly easy and Arlo hasn't let his disability hold him back. Naomi says his friends weren’t aware Arlo even had a disability - as he plays football, basketball and rugby with them. In March 2020, Arlo was scouted by a diverse modelling agency who wanted to sign him up and he has since travelled to Prague, London and Manchester - being paid £500 a shoot for brands like Primark, Amazon and Schuh.

  • Will I get seasick on a cruise? Here's what travelers should know.

    Getting seasick can put a damper on a cruise, but there are ways to keep it from ruining your trip.

  • Flintoffs are tip of the iceberg as sons of 2005 Ashes heroes make their mark

    All it took was three blows for Rocky Flintoff to set social media ablaze. Dipping his head as he pulled the ball, with the power and timing to launch it over midwicket, Flintoff crunched three sixes for Lancashire second XI last week. The mere act of releasing the clips made comparisons with his father, Andrew, irresistible. Rocky then backed up his half-century against Durham with a century against Warwickshire on Tuesday.

  • AI spending worries cast gloom over Alphabet, Microsoft

    Investors appear to be losing patience with Big Tech's prodigious artificial intelligence investments this week after Meta Platforms signaled deeper spending and a long road to profitability. The concession from Meta in its quarterly report late on Wednesday cast a cloud over Microsoft and Alphabet, which will both report quarterly earnings on Thursday. Meta's stock sank 15% in extended trade after it forecast higher AI spending next year, while Microsoft was down 2%, Alphabet fell 3% and Nvidia dropped 1.4% in reaction.

  • Meta AI spending plans cause share price slump

    Investors react badly to the Facebook and WhatsApp owner spending more than anticipated on AI.

  • Toyota pilots EV pickup trucks in key Thai market

    Toyota launched a public transport pilot on Thursday with nine fully electric Hilux Revo pickup trucks in Thailand, a key Southeast Asian battleground for electric vehicles where Chinese players are challenging the dominance of Japanese automakers. "The battery EV Revo have been modified into song-taews for public transportation," Toyota Motor Thailand Executive Vice President Surapoom Udomwong said Thursday, referring to the pickup trucks that have been re-purposed for public transit.

  • Pack it up, pack it in: average snowpack in province favours West Kootenay

    The West Kootenay is the wet Kootenay compared to the rest of the province when it comes to snow accumulation this spring. According to the Snow Survey and Water Supply Bulletin — issued by the B.C. Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship on April 1 — the West Kootenay region was sitting at 72 per cent of normal. That figure is one of the highest in the province, with the provincial average sitting at a paltry 63 per cent — last year it was 88 per cent — the lowest average snowpack sinc

  • Riot police clash with pro-Palestine protesters on college campuses across US

    Riot police clashed with pro-Palestine protesters as they were ordered to clear college campus demonstrations that have spread across the US.

  • London travel news LIVE: Euston rush-hour disruption after train hits obstruction near Watford Junction

    Disruption has hit the morning rush-hour on Thursday after a train crashed into an obstruction near Watford. Trains to and from Euston are among those affected. National Rail warns trains are having to run at reduced speeds on the line towards Milton Keynes Central.

  • Skipping updates on your phone? Which apps are listening? Check out these tech tips

    Have sensitive pic or document to hide? Worried about phone radiation? Kim Komando has you covered with 11 smart tech tips

  • Virgil van Dijk says Liverpool do not deserve to win Premier League title

    Jurgen Klopp’s final season is likely to end with just the Carabao Cup.

  • Ship comes under attack off coast of Yemen as Houthi rebel campaign appears to gain new speed

    JERUSALEM (AP) — A ship traveling in the Gulf of Aden came under attack Thursday, officials said, the latest assault likely carried out by Yemen's Houthi rebels over Israel's ongoing war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The attack comes after the U.S. military said early Thursday an allied warship shot down a Houthi missile targeting a vessel the day before near the same area. The Houthis claimed that Wednesday assault, which comes after a period of relatively few rebel attacks on shipping in the reg

  • Biden has a favorite stop when he hits the road: chipmaking plants

    Visiting chipmakers has become one of President Biden's most common reasons for getting on the road. He will do so again Thursday as he travels to Syracuse to award Micron $6 billion in federal money.