MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Los Angeles Chargers have been desperately treading water over the past three weeks. Waves and waves of injuries have arrived and threatened to derail their season. The injuries started in August and have not stopped, particularly along the offensive line. After a 3-0 start, the Chargers went on a two-game losing streak. And with so many important players sidelined, keeping their heads above water was becoming more and more challenging.
On Sunday, in a 29-27 win over the Miami Dolphins, Justin Herbert was the Chargers’ life jacket. In a game the Chargers could not afford to lose, Herbert might have saved the season with his late-game heroics.
“He’s Hercules to me,” coach Jim Harbaugh said of his quarterback.
The Chargers’ defense unraveled in the fourth quarter and squandered a 13-point lead. The Dolphins scored touchdowns on back-to-back drives to jump ahead with 46 seconds remaining. The Chargers had no answer for Dolphins running back De’Von Achane, who had 48 of his 150 scrimmage yards in the fourth quarter. On the go-ahead touchdown, the Chargers’ back end lost track of tight end Darren Waller, and Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa found him in the corner of the end zone.
It was slipping away — the game, and potentially the season. That is when Herbert jogged onto the field to take over at his own 41-yard line. The Chargers’ special teams had executed a clutch kickoff return. Running back Nyheim Miller-Hines, who was elevated from the practice squad for the game, found a crease to set up the prime field position.
For most of the game, the Chargers had avoided true dropback situations. They started their fifth-string and sixth-string tackles in the game — Austin Deculus on the left and Bobby Hart on the right. Rashawn Slater is out for the season. Joe Alt missed his second straight game with a high ankle sprain. Trey Pipkins and Jamaree Salyer were both inactive with knee injuries. The offensive game plan revolved around protecting those reserve tackles, and the Chargers had stayed on track.
In this situation, needing a two-minute drive to get into field goal range, the Chargers had no choice but to drop Herbert back. And the pressure came.
On first down, Herbert was smothered by the Dolphins’ defensive front. With multiple defenders trying to drag him to the ground, Herbert just got a throw off over the middle for an incompletion, preserving the one timeout the Chargers had remaining. On second down, the right side of the offensive line — guard Mekhi Becton and Hart — collapsed. Edge rushers Chop Robinson and Jaelan Phillips both had free runs on Herbert.
Herbert stepped up to avoid Robinson, but that left him in the grasp of Phillips, who had beaten Becton on the inside. Phillips tried to punch out the ball. Herbert shifted it from his right hand to his left to avoid the forced fumble attempt. Phillips wrapped Herbert around the waist. Herbert flung Phillips to the turf, maintaining his throwing base. Without a wasted movement, Herbert stood tall and fired a dart to receiver Ladd McConkey in the left flat.
ladd mcconkey.
📺 | @nfloncbs pic.twitter.com/Frb9xmCeYx
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) October 12, 2025
McConkey stopped on a dime and juked past Dolphins safety Dante Trader Jr. He took off down the sideline and into the open field. Running back Hassan Haskins sprinted to catch up to McConkey and shielded linebacker Jordyn Brooks, who was in pursuit. The catch-and-run went for 42 yards. Four plays later, kicker Cameron Dicker nailed the winner from 33 yards.
“That play will be burned in my mind until they throw dirt over top of me,” Harbaugh said.
Herbert’s strength in the pocket was superhuman. His ability to shake off defenders is now commonplace. He avoided a similar sack attempt in a Week 3 win over the Denver Broncos, when defensive lineman Zach Allen came charging free up the middle.
“He reminds me of those big dogs, (like) Ben Roethlisberger,” tight end Will Dissly said. “The guys that just f-—ing wear it and still sling it. He’s a problem. He’s a real problem.”
Quentin Johnston missed this game with a hamstring injury. McConkey carried the load for the passing offense, leading the team with seven catches for 100 yards. He also scored the Chargers’ first touchdown, sprinting open in the third quarter in a red zone scramble drill. Herbert found McConkey in the front corner of the end zone. But no play was bigger than his catch-and-run to set up the game-winning field goal.
“When I caught it, I saw it was one-on-one,” McConkey said. “As a receiver, when you catch the ball, you got to make the first one miss. Whatever happens after that happens.”
Offensively, the Chargers played as well as could be expected. They had a chance to break the game open in the first half. They instead settled for three field goals on three red zone trips.
Considering the state of their offensive line, though, the Chargers executed a smart and well-constructed game plan from Harbaugh and coordinator Greg Roman.
“We played the way we needed to to win,” Herbert said.
The Chargers got the run game rolling against one of the worst run defenses in football, which prevented the Dolphins’ edge defenders from really impacting the game as pass rushers.
Running back Kimani Vidal had 124 yards on 18 carries. Vidal’s previous career high in rushing was 34 yards. With Najee Harris (Achilles) and Omarion Hampton (ankle) both on injured reserve, Vidal literally ran with his opportunity. A 2024 sixth-round draft pick, Vidal was left off the 53-man roster coming out of training camp. He signed to the practice squad. Vidal said he was glad he decided to stick with the Chargers.
“I feel like before this game I just haven’t done much on the field,” Vidal said. “I wanted to just do more.”
“He did everything in his power today to will us to a victory,” center Bradley Bozeman said of Vidal.
Kimani Vidal filled in spectacularly for an injured Omarion Hampton. (Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)
Defensively, the Chargers have work to do. They have given up an average of 153.7 rushing yards over the past three games. They have allowed a 100-yard rusher in back-to-back games. Achane finished with 128 yards rushing. He had a 49-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
The Chargers picked Tagovailoa off three times, including one from cornerback Benjamin St-Juste in plus territory in the third quarter that led to a touchdown for the offense. Those turnovers salvaged the performance. But the run defense is not sustainable. The Chargers are missing edge rusher Khalil Mack, who has been on IR since Week 3. Safety Derwin James Jr. is playing at less than 100 percent because of a wrist injury. Linebacker Daiyan Henley is just now returning to his usual form after dealing with a severe illness.
“We got to clean that up because some of the same plays are showing up, some of the same runs,” James said of the run defense.
Even with Tagovailoa playing poorly, the Chargers let the Dolphins back into this game. The run game was the engine for the comeback.
“As a defense, we got to close it out,” James said.
A win is a win, however. The Chargers are 4-2. They are undefeated in four games against the AFC.
They needed to hold the line until reinforcements arrive. They accomplished that Sunday. Alt is nearing a return. So is Mack.
With a brutal schedule remaining, a loss in Miami would have been difficult to rebound from.
“We needed to win to get back on track,” St-Juste said.
The Chargers avoided disaster.
Herbert and McConkey made sure of that.
The Chargers have some concerning flaws, but the season is alive.
“That’s something to build on,” Harbaugh said.
