If nothing else, quarterback Justin Herbert and the Chargers proved to be resilient in Sunday’s victory over the Miami Dolphins, the second time in six games this season they have rallied in the closing minutes or seconds to overtake an opponent that seemed to have them defeated.
Here’s what we learned, what we heard and what comes next after the Chargers’ 29-27 come-from-behind victory ended a two-game losing streak, gave them a 4-2 record to start the season and also enabled them to keep pace with the Denver Broncos atop the AFC West:
WHO ARE THOSE GUYS?
The Chargers found a way to win a game with a lineup that was unfathomable when they convened for training camp back in July. The injury-depleted Chargers were a shadow of themselves when they ran onto the Hard Rock Stadium field to face the Dolphins and, ultimately, win.
That says more about the Chargers than the fact that they had to eke out a victory over a Dolphins team that has won only once in six games. It says they have depth. It says they are tough. It says they have a quarterback who can work his magic without the A-team on the O-line.
Herbert completed 29 of 38 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns and was sacked only once while playing behind an offensive line that was without tackles Joe Alt and Trey Pipkins III because of injuries and top backup guard/tackle Jamaree Salyer, who also was hurt.
Running back Kimani Vidal, filling in while Omarion Hampton is on injured reserve, rushed for a career-high 124 yards on 18 carries for an average of 6.9 yards per attempt behind a makeshift line of Austin Deculus, Zion Johnson, Bradley Bozeman, Mekhi Becton and Bobby Hart.
Nyheim Hines, who is filling in as the Chargers’ kick returner while Derius Davis is sidelined by a knee injury, set up the winning drive by returning a kickoff 40 yards to his own 41-yard line. The Chargers elevated Hines from their practice squad Saturday to play in Sunday’s game.
“Great for morale,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said of rallying to beat Miami. “Great for the belief. Believe. Guys were talking about it on the sideline. Every time things got tough, you saw our guys (acting) as the tough get going and believing in each other, believing in themselves.”
No one is going to confuse the Dolphins with the Buffalo Bills or the Indianapolis Colts or the Pittsburgh Steelers, three one-loss teams leading their AFC divisions. But, as several Chargers pointed out after Sunday’s game, it’s not so easy to win games in the NFL in these days of parity.
“Hey, I know how hard it is to win in this league,” Bozeman said. “I was on a 1-16 team once.”
Actually, Bozeman and the 2023 Carolina Panthers were 2-15, but you get the idea.
DICKER THE KICKER
Cameron Dicker kicked a career-high five field goals, including the game-winning 33-yarder with five seconds remaining Sunday. It was the fourth game-deciding kick of his career and his second this season, after a 43-yarder beat the Denver Broncos, 23-20, as time expired.
Dicker’s fifth and final field goal was straight and true despite a high snap on the winning kick against the Dolphins, a mortal lock if ever there was one. You see, Dicker has never missed from inside the 40-yard line in his four-season career, including 50 of 51 games with the Chargers.
Overall, he has made 105 of 111 field goals, including going 2 for 2 during a one-game stint with the Philadelphia Eagles before initially signing with the Chargers’ practice squad on Nov. 3, 2022. He’s only missed once from inside the 50-yard line and five times from 50 or longer.
No one in NFL history (since 1938) is more accurate than Dicker (94.6%).
WHAT COMES NEXT
The Chargers enter the heart of their 2025 schedule when they play host to the Colts on Sunday at SoFi Stadium. Next, they host the Minnesota Vikings at SoFi Stadium on “Thursday Night Football” before hitting the road again to face the Tennessee Titans on Nov. 2 in Nashville.