INGLEWOOD — Chargers running back Austin Ekeler didn’t want the madness to continue. He tried his best not to cross the end zone late in the fourth quarter of a ridiculous shootout between the Chargers and Cleveland Browns.
Ekeler was conflicted because his Chargers’ defense couldn’t stop the Browns from scoring and his kicker was unreliable after two missed extra-point attempts. Ekeler ended up scoring with the help of the Browns’ defense.
The chaos continued, but the Browns’ extra possession didn’t doom the Chargers. They survived the madness with a 47-42 victory over the Browns to improve to 4-1 on the season. The Chargers also extended their winning streak to three games.
Quarterback Justin Herbert completed 26 of 43 passes for 398 yards and four touchdowns. The Chargers’ defense allowed 532 total yards including 230 on the ground.
Chargers safety Derwin James was on a record-pace for tackles, but it’s usually not a good sign when a defensive back is leading that statistical category by a wide margin.
James had many opportunities to tackle the Cleveland Browns’ running back tandem of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt because the Chargers’ defense often allowed them to get past the “first level,” a popular phrase by Chargers coach Brandon Staley.
The Chargers have struggled to control the “first level” of the line of scrimmage most of the season and Sunday at SoFi Stadium was no different with defenders falling to tackle Chubb and Hunt.
Although the Chargers saw the backs of the Browns after missed tackles and busted coverages, they were never out of the game because of another stellar two-man performance from Herbert and Mike Williams.
But as the Chargers racked up yards and touchdowns, it was a different and familiar obstacle that almost doomed them: the kicking game. Tristan Vizcaino missed two extra-point attempts.
Two deep touchdowns passes from Herbert to Williams and another aggressive approach on fourth down led to a thrilling shootout down the stretch between the Chargers and Browns.
The Chargers stared at a 14-point deficit after Chubb bypassed multiple defenders while running on the right side of the field for a 52-yard rushing touchdown and a 27-13 advantage early in the third quarter.
Herbert did some running of his own to trim the Browns’ lead to 27-21 with 6:25 in the third quarter. Herbert ran upfield with Browns’ defensive end Myles Garrett chasing him and it seemed the 6-foot-6 quarterback was out of space, but Herbert cut to his left for a 9-yard rushing touchdown. Herbert then found tight end Donald Parham Jr. for the 2-point conversion.
The Browns got an extra possession before halftime after Chargers running back Austin Ekeler fumbled at his team’s 22-yard line with 38 seconds left. Kicker Chase McLaughlin made a 31-yard field goal to give the Browns a 20-13 halftime advantage. The Browns had 111 rushing yards and controlled the time of possession with 21:39 heading into the locker room.
On Monday night, the Chargers held the Las Vegas Raiders to 48 rushing yards. The tandem of Chubb and Hunt recorded 65 rushing yards in the first quarter along against the Chargers.
The Browns used three tight ends on the field to gain most of their yards in the opening half. Mayfield took advantage of miscommunication from the Chargers’ secondary to find an open Rashard Higgins for a 7-yard touchdown and a 10-7 lead with 12:46 in the second quarter.
On the following drive, Herbert also took advantage of a busted coverage when he found an open Mike Wiliams for a 72-yard touchdown. The Chargers took a 13-10 lead with 11:43 in the second quarter after Tristan Vizcaino’s missed extra-point attempt.
The Browns got the run game going with 53 rushing yards on their first drive, but had to settle for a McLaughlin 35-yard field goal after James’ strip sack stopped Cleveland’s momentum inside the red zone. The Chargers’ star safety had six tackles on the drive, as the Browns took a 3-0 lead with 7:39 in the first quarter.
The Chargers responded with a 10-play, 85-yard scoring drive that ended with a Parham Jr. 22-yard touchdown catch to take a 7-3 advantage with 2:44 in the first quarter. Parham had open space near the right sideline after catching Herbert’s screen pass because Keenan Allen and Stephen Anderson delivered key blocks.
This story will be updated.