By Daniel Popper, Paul Dehner Jr. and Zach Powell

Thanks to a late touchdown from JK Dobbins, the Los Angeles Chargers survived a second-half comeback attempt by the Cincinnati Bengals to earn a 34-27 win at SoFi Stadium on “Sunday Night Football.”

In the final minute of regulation, quarterback Justin Herbert commanded Los Angeles 54 yards down the field, leading to Dobbins’ rush to the end zone from 29 yards out.

JK DOBBINS HOME VISIT!

via @NFL pic.twitter.com/1LhyHO0x5g

— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) November 18, 2024

The Bengals (4-7), who struggled mightily in the first half and went without a touchdown, turned around their efforts in the second half, scoring 21 straight points to tie the game. Cincinnati had two chances to take the lead, but kicker Evan McPherson missed two field goal attempts in the fourth quarter, one from 48 yards and the other from 51 yards.

Chargers narrowly escape the Bengals

The Chargers somehow escaped. After a dominant first half, they completely fell apart in the second half. The offense couldn’t move the ball. The defense, dealing with injuries in the secondary, allowed Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to take over the game. The pass rush wilted. It felt like so many Chargers games from the past. Until it wasn’t anymore.

And perhaps this is a sign of the shift under coach Jim Harbaugh. The Chargers certainly needed some luck, including the Bengals’ two missed field goals in the fourth quarter. Burrow also missed an open chase on a deep ball down the right sideline, which could have been a go-ahead goal. But the Chargers didn’t let this game completely collapse. That means something to this organization. — Daniel Popper, Chargers beat writer

Sunday’s win showcases the Chargers’ improvements

There will be plenty of clean-up to do in the future. First, a defense that hadn’t given up more than 20 points in a game looked much more mediocre against a more professional offense. The Chargers built a lead and then failed to protect it by running the ball down the stretch. They were anemic at that stage until Dobbins scored the winner.

Herbert missed open receivers until he got back into shape for the winning drive. Some problems persist. But the Chargers are 7-3. They may not be contenders. At the same time, they are an improved team. They are a different team. It’s a resilient team. And when the game slipped away, they found plenty of winning plays. — Popper

Has Cincy lost faith in Evan McPherson?

How many brutal, heartbreaking ways can a team lose games in one season? The Bengals are 1-6 in one-score games. From fourth-and-16 in Kansas City, a failed field goal attempt at home against Baltimore, Terry McLaurin’s deep ball against Washington, the 35-34 loss in Baltimore and now this. The whisper of McPherson concerns became a primal cry when he missed two starts in the fourth quarter.

The Bengals extended McPherson, who earned the name Money Mac, before the season, but he was leaking this year. He has now missed a PAT, two field goals inside the 50 and gone 3 of 7 from 50-plus. Taylor didn’t put him on the field in two spots last week in Baltimore, but claimed there was still trust. You have to believe this is broken now. — Paul Dehner, Bangladeshi beat writer

Bengals almost found a way

With the season on the line, the Bengals defense put up an effort so embarrassing in the first half that it was fair to wonder if everyone would still have their jobs by the time the team landed in Cincinnati. They benched starting cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt, blew assignments, missed tackles and allowed 8.8 yards per play, 17 first downs and 272 yards.

Those were among the worst numbers since coach Zac Taylor and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo took the Cincinnati job in 2019.

Still, they found enough resilience to flip the script after the break. The Bengals allowed just three points and forced a turnover, allowing Burrow to nearly bring the team all the way back. As much as the group deserves all the heat imaginable for the lack of effort and execution in the first half, it’s an impressive attitude to recalibrate and come up with some big stops. — Dehner

Never count out Joe Burrow

You can never discount Burrow. He looked demoralized and defeated during the first half, sitting on the touchline and taking long, slow walks off the pitch after failed possessions. But an increased aggression (two fourth-down touchdown passes) and a willingness to hold the ball to find chunk plays fueled the Bengals’ wild comeback attempt.

Burrow used every trick he had in his bag, from magical pocket escapes for conversions, courageous deep balls in the fourth quarter for a score, precise timing and ultimately setting up two go-ahead field goals in the final minutes. He was hard on himself for missed passes, but he’s statistically been playing at an MVP level all season. The inexplicable way the Bengals lost bothers him, but it’s hardly his fault. — Dehner

Required reading

(Photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)