Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston gets ready to make a move on Raiders safety Tre'von Moehrig during a game at SoFi Stadium this season. Johnston caught a touchdown pass from Justin Herbert last Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said it best after his Chargers team defeated the Tennessee Titans at SoFi Stadium last Sunday afternoon, 27-17, for their third consecutive victory. "We're excited for these guys and what they're doing and let's keep going. Let's go get some more."
The win improved the Chargers record to 6-3. The Titans fell to 2-7 on the season. The Chargers will try to get more this weekend when they take on the Cincinnati Bengals in a Sunday Night clash of two great franchise quarterbacks. Justin Herbert of the Chargers and Joe Burrow of the Bengals. The Bengals have a record of 4-6 but they lose a lot of close games. They are 0-5 in games decided by six points or less.
Burrow leads the NFL in passing yardage with 2,672 yards. He has thrown 24 touchdown passes and just 4 interceptions this season. Burrow was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and a Pro Bowl selection in 2022. He led the Bengals to the Super Bowl in 2021. Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase leads the NFL in receptions, receiving yardage, and touchdown receptions. The Bengals have an explosive passing attack.
Herbert was the No. 6 overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft. He was selected as the Pro Bowl starting quarterback in 2021. He has not had the playoff success that Burrow has had. Against the Titans, Herbert threw just 18 passes, completing 14 passes for 164 yards, including a 16-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Quentin Johnston. Herbert also rushed for 32 yards on 9 carries, adding a nifty four-yard touchdown run to his rushing totals. The Chargers had 57 offensive plays on Sunday, and only 18 were passes.
Tennessee head coach Bill Callahan, a reserve quarterback and holder with the UCLA Bruins from 2002 through 2005, is in his first season as head coach with the Titans. But he is familiar with Harbaugh and his style of offensive play.
"We just had a hard time getting the quarterback down. Herbert got out a few times, made some runs," Callahan said. "They're a bleed offense and they suck the air out of the game. That's what [Offensive Coordinator] Greg Roman and Jim Harbaugh have done forever, they run the ball well. There was nothing big. It was just steady, it's like death by a thousand paper cuts when you play that way."
The Chargers offensively want to run the football and wear the opposing defense down. There is no reason to think that will change against the Bengals. Ideally, the Chargers will want to control the ball and keep the explosive Bengals offense off of the field. They will also want to keep the pressure on Burrow.
The Chargers pass rush has come alive in the three-game winning streak, with 18 sacks in the three-game stretch, including seven on Sunday. Linebacker Khalil Mack, an 8-time Pro Bowl selection, sat out in the game against the Titans with a groin injury. That had no effect on the Chargers pass rush.
"It was pretty good," Harbaugh said. "I think Tuli [Tuipulotu] had 2.0 or 3.0 sacks. Good to see Bud Dupree getting in the mix with a big sack, Joey [Bosa] got his 70th sack, great to see. Most snaps he's played in quite a while, and I think he just moved to second in Chargers history in terms of sacks. So really excited for him."
Defensively, the Chargers continue to lead the NFL in scoring defense, allowing just 13.1 points per game. The Chargers are tied for the league lead with the Washington Commanders with the fewest giveaways, with just four turnovers. Herbert has thrown 11 touchdown passes and just one interception. He leads the NFL in terms of the best interception percentage. The Chargers are playing a safe, physical brand of football.
Nine of the 16 teams in the AFC have six losses or more. The Chargers are in a good position to make the playoffs if they can get to 10 wins. Beating the Bengals this Sunday will get them one step closer. The Bengals need a win to stay alive in the playoff chase, so this game should be a classic battle.
The Sunday Night, November 17 matchup will start at 5:20 pm from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood and will be televised nationally on NBC.
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