Justin Herbert threw three touchdown passes and the Los Angeles Chargers clinched their second playoff appearance in three seasons with a 40-7 victory over the New England Patriots on Saturday.
The win also secured the fourth postseason appearance in Jim Harbaugh’s five seasons as an NFL coach, adding to the three he made during his stint with the San Francisco 49ers.
Herbert finished 26 of 38 for 281 yards to become the third player in NFL history with at least 3,000 passing yards and 20 touchdown passes in each of his first five seasons. He joins Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson.
Ladd McConkey had eight catches for 94 yards and pulled in TD throws of 6 and 40 yards. With a 10-yard reception in the second quarter he passed 1,000 yards receiving for the season, making him the third Chargers rookie receiver to reach that milestone.
JK Dobbins rushed 19 times for 76 yards and a TD.
The Patriots have lost six straight games, their second such losing streak of the season. They are now 2-14 the last two seasons at home.
New England quarterback Drake Maye finished 12 of 22 for 117 yards and a touchdown. He became the first rookie quarterback in franchise history with a TD pass in eight straight games. But he was sacked four times, and a second-quarter fumble marked his eighth straight game with at least one turnover.
Los Angeles outgained New England 428-181 for the game.
Maye briefly left the game to be evaluated for a head injury following a blow to his helmet in the first quarter.
He was scrambling near the sideline on third down of the Patriots’ first possession when he was hit by Chargers cornerback Cam Hart, jarring the ball loose as Maye spun out of bounds.
No flag was thrown on the play and Maye stayed down on the turf for several seconds before eventually getting up and jogging off the field. He initially sat on the bench before going to the medical tent for evaluation.
He was replaced by backup Jacoby Brissett in the next series, which ended in a punt. But after further evaluation in the locker room and a Cameron Dicker 27-yard field goal put the Chargers in front 10-0, Maye returned to the game for the Patriots’ third series, at the 10:15 mark of the second quarter.
Maye scrambled for nine yards on his first play back, ending with him being hit by linebacker Junior Colson as he slid to the ground. Colson was flagged for unnecessary roughness.
Five plays later, Maye mistimed a toss to Demario Douglas, causing a fumble that was recovered by Derwin James.
The Chargers took over on the New England 24 and nine plays later, Herbert connected with McConkey for a six-yard touchdown pass to put Los Angeles in front 17-0.
Denver Broncos 24-30 Cincinnati Bengals (OT)
Joe Burrow threw his third touchdown pass to Tee Higgins with 1:07 left in overtime, and the Cincinnati Bengals kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a wild 30-24 win over the Denver Broncos on Saturday.
Following a Broncos punt, Burrow completed a 31-yard pass to Higgins to the Denver 3, then went back to the lanky receiver for the game-ending play. Higgins finished with 11 receptions for 131 yards.
Cade York had a chance to win it for the Bengals with about three minutes left in overtime, but his 33-yard field goal bounced off the left upright. Denver then went three-and-out, including a Bo Nix incompletion on third down, handing the ball right back to Cincinnati (8-8).
It was the Bengals’ first win this season against a team with a winning record. They need another victory in their final game at Pittsburgh and some help from other teams to make it to the postseason for the first time since 2022.
The Broncos (9-7) would have secured an AFC wild card with a victory over the Bengals. They’ll have another opportunity to earn a postseason berth when they host Kansas City next weekend.
Burrow continued his stellar season, going 39 for 49 for 412 yards and three touchdowns, all to Higgins. Ja’Marr Chase finished with nine receptions for 102 yards.
Burrow has at least 250 yards passing and three touchdowns in eight straight games, extending his NFL record.
Arizona Cardinals 9-13 Los Angeles Rams
Ahkello Witherspoon made a diving interception on a deflected pass in the end zone with 37 seconds to play, and the Los Angeles Rams barely maintained command of the NFC West race with a victory over Arizona.
Puka Nacua had 129 yards receiving and Kyren Williams scored the only touchdown for the Rams (10-6), who grinded through a difficult offensive night and survived a hair-raising fourth quarter for their fifth consecutive victory.
The Rams host Seattle (9-7) in their regular-season finale next weekend, but they could already have coach Sean McVay’s fourth division title clinched before then.
If the Bills, Browns, Vikings, Commanders and 49ers combine for three wins – or two wins and a tie – over the next two days, Los Angeles will be NFC West champions based on its strength of schedule, no matter what happens against Seattle.
If the Rams don’t get that strength-of-schedule help this week, they’re still in command of the division race: The Seahawks will have to beat the Rams and get help from multiple teams to claim the West while denying the Rams’ sixth playoff berth in eight seasons under McVay.
