For much of Sunday’s matchup between the Titans and Chargers, the two teams were tied at 7-7.
But with some fourth-quarter action — including some last-minute heroics from quarterback Justin Herbert — Los Angeles came away with a 17-14 victory.
Austin Ekeler got the scoring started in the final period, powering his way into the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown. L.A. took advantage of good field position after Tennessee missed a 51-yard field goal.
The Titans ended up punting on its next two drives, but their defense also kept the Chargers off the board. So when Ryan Tannehill and company got the ball back with 2:57 left and one timeout, the offense had plenty of time to tie the game.
It took 11 plays and 74 yards, but quarterback Ryan Tannehill took a QB sneak in for a 1-yard touchdown with 48 seconds left on the clock. Though Mike Vrabel could have gone for two to try and win it there, he instead sent out Randy Bullock for an extra point, which went through the uprights.
With the score tied at 14, the Chargers didn’t have any timeouts when they began their drive at the 23-yard line with 44 seconds left. That’s when Herbert took over, hitting Mike Williams for a 16-yard gain, with Williams going out of bounds. Then tight end Gerald Everett took a 6-yard gain out of bounds.
Finally, Herbert rolled to his right and fired a strike to Williams on the run, picking up 35 yards to put the Chargers on Tennessee’s 25-yard line with 15 seconds left after a spike.
A few plays later, kicker Cameron Dicker sent a 43-yard field goal through the uprights to effectively win the game.
Herbert didn’t have the best day, finishing 28-of-42 for 313 yards with a pair of interceptions. But when the Chargers needed him the most, he came through at the end of the game.
Tannehill suffered an ankle injury at the end of Tennessee’s first possession in the first quarter, but was able to return to the game after missing one drive. He finished 15-of-22 for 165 yards with an interception. Tennessee finished just 3-of-11 on third down.
Derrick Henry reached 104 yards on 21 carries with a touchdown. He also was the leading receiver with four catches for 59 yards.
The result carries some significant postseason implications. Now at 8-6, the Chargers are now the No. 6 seed in the AFC — holding a head-to-head tiebreaker over No. 7 Miami.
The Titans are still the No. 4 seed, leading the AFC South at 7-7. But the Jaguars are breathing down their necks after a victory over Dallas on Sunday to improve to 6-8 on the season.
Next week, the Chargers will be on the road to face the Colts on Monday night.
The Titans will host the 1-12-1 Titans on Christmas Eve, but that’s a team that has given a pair of true contenders everything they can handle over the last two weeks.
