MIAMI GARDENS, FL — The play will live on in Jim Harbaugh's memory.
Thirty-four seconds left. The Chargers trail by one point and need 20 yards to get into field goal range. Justin Herbert falls back under heavy pressure from his right side, and suddenly Miami Dolphins linebacker Jaelin Phillips is hanging from his torso like a 260-pound hoop.
The quarterback – in what his coach called a “Hercules” move – broke free of a secure sack and threw a short pass to Ladd McConkey, who rocked the defender with a hit to the ankle and gained 42 yards before running out of bounds on the 17.
It was not just a signature moment in a 29-27 win over the Dolphins, sealed by Cameron Dicker's fifth field goal of the day, but also a Houdini-style escape from a third straight loss.
“He's a strong man,” Harbaugh said of his quarterback. “I mean, there are only a few in the game who can achieve that kind of result.”
A coach who played quarterback in the NFL knows how difficult it is to maintain the balance and smarts to make a play like this. It was somewhat similar to Herbert's Matrix-worthy weaponized pass in the Week 3 win over Denver.
“Physically, there’s only a couple guys that can do that,” Harbaugh said. “But psychologically, spinning like that is an emotionally exciting thing. To keep your sanity, to visualize where someone is, to move, to lock in again and to make an accurate throw… It's meant for the best of the best.”
There were many other elements to that winning drive, and Harbaugh is happy to list them, including Nyheim Hines' 40-yard kickoff return and a solid kick by Dicker, who has never missed a field goal closer than 40 yards in his four-year NFL career.
Cameron Dicker kicks the game-winning field goal in the final seconds of a 29–27 win over the Dolphins.
(Rebecca Blackwell/AP)
But the big picture is that, like Herbert on that play, the Chargers reloaded and found success. They won their first three games, lost their next two and have now won again despite key injuries throughout their squad.
Their offensive line is a poker deck, shuffled and shuffled, and they're down to their third-string running back with Najee Harris and Omarion Hampton sidelined with injuries. They also were without wide receiver Quentin Johnston for Sunday's game.
On the other hand, they weren't going to generate much sympathy from the battered Dolphins, who fell to 1-5, have the worst defense in the NFL and, unsurprisingly, have morale as low as the Everglades.
“We have guys who are late to meetings just with players,” Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said from the podium in his postgame comments. “The guys don’t come to meetings just with the players…
“A lot depends on it. Should we make it mandatory? Shouldn't we make it mandatory?”
As the Dolphins' season winds down, the team is overwhelmed with questions. The small crowd at Hard Rock Stadium on a sweltering day nearly witnessed a dramatic victory for the home team. After gaining minus-11 yards of offense in the third quarter, the Dolphins came alive in the fourth and scored a pair of touchdowns.
With 46 seconds to play, Tagovailoa found Darren Waller with a seven-yard touchdown pass that gave Miami a 27-26 lead, the sixth lead change of the day.
The Chargers looked doomed. That is, for everyone except the Chargers.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert struggles in the second half against the Dolphins.
(Lynn Sladky/Associated Press)
“We knew we had a timeout left,” guard Zion Johnson said. “We knew if we had the opportunity, we had a chance to win this game.”
The Chargers have already gotten some amazing performances from little-used running back Kimani Vidal, who rushed for 124 yards and turned a pass rush into a seven-yard touchdown.
Miami knows enough to pay attention to no-name defenders. A week earlier, the Dolphins were torched for 206 yards by Carolina reserve Rico Dowdle.
But Vidal, a sixth-round pick from Troy University in 2024, is a renowned playmaker in the eyes of his teammates.
“We know how electric he is,” Johnson said. “It’s great that the world can see what a runner he is.”
Chargers running back Kimani Vidal scores a touchdown in the third quarter Sunday against the Dolphins.
(Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Vidal made it through quickly, as did the flight back to Los Angeles – or at least that's what the Chargers expected.
“It’s going to be a lot shorter,” offensive tackle Austin Deculus said. “And tomorrow morning breakfast will be much tastier.”
In the meantime, Harbaugh is determined to savor the moment and his quarterback's classic play.
“This play,” he said, “will burn in my memory until they throw mud at me.”
