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The Los Angeles Chargers held on for a 27-20 victory over the Tennessee Titans in Week 9, improving to 6-3 before a crowd of 58,592 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
By Earl Heath | Contributing Sports Writer
The Los Angeles Chargers held on for a 27-20 victory over the Tennessee Titans in Week 9, improving to 6-3 before a crowd of 58,592 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
Quarterback Justin Herbert led the way with a stellar all-around performance, completing 19 of 29 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns while adding a team-high 57 rushing yards and a rushing score.
Herbert Delivers Despite Pressure
Tennessee sacked Herbert a season-high six times, but the Chargers’ signal-caller kept his composure, orchestrating key drives and making clutch plays late.
“There’s no other way he can impress, you know?” head coach Jim Harbaugh said. “But every time I think that, he finds a way to climb another rung on the ladder of esteem. Yeah, he’s that guy. He’s that competitor.”
Herbert entered the game as the NFL’s leading passer with 2,140 yards. Despite throwing a first-quarter pick-six, he rebounded to post a 101.2 passer rating and account for three total touchdowns.
The defining moment came midway through the third quarter. With the Chargers clinging to a 20-17 lead, their defense stuffed Titans running back Tony Pollard on back-to-back plays at the 1-yard line. Herbert then engineered a 99-yard, 15-play drive that chewed up more than nine minutes, finishing it himself with a 1-yard touchdown run to seal the win.
“It was a weird, kind of different game for us,” Herbert said. “A lot of uncharacteristic things, but I think there’s going to be a lot of good learning from it. As long as guys hang in there, there’s always a shot.”
Adams’ Injury Overshadows Win
The Chargers’ win came at a cost. Left tackle Joe Alt suffered what is believed to be a high-ankle sprain—his second this season—and could require surgery, according to ESPN.
Titans Struggle Offensively
The Titans (1-8) continued their downward slide, losing their eighth straight game. Rookie quarterback Cam Ward completed 12 of 25 passes for 145 yards with no touchdowns. Tennessee’s only scores came from a 67-yard punt return by Chimere Dike and a first-quarter interception return by linebacker Cody Barton.
Head coach Brian Callahan’s squad struggled to sustain drives and move the ball consistently.
Tragedy Strikes the Chargers Family
Away from the field, Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley played with a heavy heart. Hours before the game, Henley learned that his brother, Jabari Henley, had been fatally shot in South Los Angeles late Friday night.
“Being transparent, I dropped to my knees,” Henley told ESPN’s Kris Rhim. “My teammate Denzel Perryman woke me up and told me to call my mom.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, Jabari Henley was shot just after 11 p.m. while approaching a vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene, and an investigation is ongoing.
Despite the devastating news, Henley chose to suit up and play. His courage and composure under such circumstances drew admiration throughout the locker room and across the league.
What’s Next
The Chargers return home to host the Pittsburgh Steelers next week at SoFi Stadium. The Titans enter their bye week before hosting the Houston Texans on Nov. 16.