Justin Herbert gives Chargers' offense legs as defense shuts down Titans

LOS ANGELES -- The linebacker ended up on his backside. The cornerback fell backward as if he was breakdancing. Justin Herbert just kept running, juking and winning.

Used to embarrassing defenders with his arm, Herbert added a display of shifty running in the Chargers’ 27-17 win over the Tennessee Titans (2-7) on Sunday at SoFi Stadium. The quarterback rushed for 34 yards on seven carries with one touchdown, his first rushing score since Sept. 24, 2023.

The Chargers (6-3) followed their quarterback’s lead to their third consecutive win, the team’s longest winning streak since four straight victories in 2021.

The Chargers held a ninth consecutive opponent under 20 points, moving into a tie for the NFL’s second-longest streak of games with 20 or fewer points allowed to begin a season. Matching the record of 10 — set by the New York Giants in 1990 — won’t be an easy task as the Chargers’ schedule takes a dramatic turn.

Facing only one team ranked 10th or better in the NFL in points per game in their first nine games, the Chargers have four of their next five games against top-10 offenses, including next Sunday’s prime-time game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

With Joe Burrow visiting, the “Sunday Night Football” contest figures to be a matchup of marquee quarterbacks. Herbert continued his hot play Sunday with 164 yards passing and one touchdown. Completing 14 of 18 passes, Herbert set the NFL record for most completions for a player through their first five seasons, passing Derek Carr.

Herbert helped jump-start a sputtering offense by scoring the Chargers’ first touchdown with a four-yard scramble on fourth-and-one. Giving the Chargers a 13-7 lead going into halftime, Herbert handed the ball to center Bradley Bozeman and the offensive lineman’s spike nearly dented the turf in the end zone.

With a high-ankle sprain a distant memory, Herbert’s running ability proved to be an early threat. He scrambled up the middle for eight yards on the Chargers’ first possession, juking Tennessee linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. so aggressively that the former Chargers linebacker toppled to the turf.

Early in the fourth quarter, Herbert pump-faked a pass that left cornerback Roger McCreary sliding down to the ground and reaching backward with his hand. Herbert picked up the first down, which helped extend a drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown run from Hassan Haskins.

“Herbo = Allen Iverson confirmed,” Chargers receiver Simi Fehoko, who is on injured reserve with an elbow injury, posted about Herbert on X during the game.