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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Dustin Hopkins kicked a tie-breaking 29-yard field goal with two seconds to play and Justin Herbert threw two touchdown passes and ran for a third score as the Los Angeles Chargers bounced back from back-to-back losses to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-24, today in Philadelphia.
Hopkins' field goal came one play after Austin Ekeler ran 16 yards to the Eagles' 11-yard line.
The 15-play, 64-yard drive that consumed 6:05 included two fourth-down conversions. Ekeler ran two yards for a first down on a fourth-and-1 from Philadelphia's 39-yard line. Herbert ran 1 yard for a first down on a fourth-and-1 from the Eagles' 28-yard line.
Herbert completed five of seven passes for 33 yards and Ekeler ran six times for 31 yards on the drive. Philadelphia tied the score with 6:07 remaining on Jalen Hurts' 28-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith, capping a 10-play, 78-yard drive with their longest play of the game.
The Chargers took a 24-17 lead with 11:32 left on Herbert's 8-yard run and pass to Jared Cook for a 2-point conversion. Herbert completed all five of his passes for 34 yards and Ekeler ran for 18 yards in four carries on the 10-play, 61-yard drive that consumed 6:38.
The Chargers (5-3) scored on all four of their second half-possessions. Hopkins kicked a 30-yard field goal on the first, Herbert threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Donald Parham Jr. on the second and ran for a touchdown on the third and Hopkins kicked the 29-yard field goal on the third.
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Parham's touchdown came three plays after the Chargers' longest play of the game, a 49-yard pass from Herbert to Mike Williams advancing the ball to the Eagles' 17-yard line.
Hopkins missed the extra-point kick after Parham's touchdown, leaving the Chargers' lead at 16-10 with 6:44 remaining in the third quarter. Philadelphia (3-6) regained the lead on the ensuing possession, driving 85 yards on 10 plays, with Kenneth Gainwell running 1 yard for the touchdown and Hurts completing three of four passes for 63 yards.
The Chargers outgained the Eagles 445 yards to 331 and led 28-20 in first downs and 33:37-26:23 in time of possession before a crowd at Lincoln Financial Field announced at 69,796. The Chargers converted five of 10 third downs and two of four fourth downs, both 50%. Philadelphia converted eight of 12 third downs, 66.7% and did not attempt to convert a fourth down.
Herbert completed 32 of 38 passes for 356 yards and two touchdowns with a passer rating of 123.2 on a scale from 0 to 158.3. A rating over 100 is considered superior.
Hurts completed 11 of 17 passes for 162 yards and one touchdown with a quarterback rating of 115.3 as the Eagles lost for the fourth time in their four home games in 2021. Herbert threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Stephen Anderson to open the scoring on the Chargers' second possession. The Chargers turned the ball over on downs on their next possession when Joshua Kelley was stopped at the Philadelphia's 26-yard line after running for 1 yard on a fourth-and-2.
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The Chargers drove 98 yards on 15 plays on their first possession, but turned the ball over on downs when Keenan Allen was tackled on the Eagles' 1-yard line after catching a 1-yard pass from Herbert. The Chargers' defense forced Philadelphia to punt after three plays on the ensuing possession.
The Chargers began their second drive on the Eagles' 38-yard line after Andre Roberts returned Arryn Siposs' 44-yard punt 10 yards.
The Chargers' fourth and final possession of the first half consisted of one play, Herbert throwing an 11-yard pass to Ekeler on the last play of the second quarter. The Eagles took a 10-7 halftime lead on Jordan Howard's 4-yard touchdown run and Jake Elliott's 24-yard field goal, both in the second quarter.
The victory combined with the Las Vegas' Raiders' 23-16 loss to the New York Giants moved the Chargers into a tie with the Raiders for the lead in the AFC West. The Chargers hold the tiebreaker due to their 28-14 victory over Las Vegas Oct. 4. The teams will meet again Jan. 9 in Las Vegas to conclude the regular season. The Chargers have not won an AFC West championship since 2009, when they were based in San Diego.