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Chargers place kicker Cameron Dicker (11) kicks a game-winning field goal as JK Scott holds during the second half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Chargers won, 29-27. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Justin Herbert didn’t have much to work with Sunday.
He didn’t have much time. He didn’t have a lead. He didn’t have his usual teammates, working behind a patchwork offensive line and with a substitute running back while facing a desperate opponent that was mere seconds away from its own very cathartic, very redemptive victory.
Herbert and the injury-depleted Chargers then did the unthinkable, rallying improbably in the final 46 seconds for a remarkable 29-27 victory over the Miami Dolphins on the fifth of Cameron Dicker’s five field goals, a 33-yard boot with five seconds remaining at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Chargers (4-2) had rallied smartly from a 13-9 halftime deficit to take a 26-13 lead by the early minutes of the fourth quarter, only to see it evaporate as Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa directed two touchdown drives before finding a way to end their two-game losing streak.
“No doubt, no doubt,” Chargers center Bradley Bozeman would later say of the mood as the offense took the field with 39 seconds remaining, after fill-in returner Nyheim Hines’ 40-yard kickoff return put them in prime position to set up Dicker for a potential game-winning kick.
Herbert was nearly sacked on first down, barely getting a pass away that was intended for wide receiver Ladd McConkey and fell incomplete. He was almost sacked again on second down, but managed to wriggle away from the Dolphins’ hard-charging outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips.
Scrambling to his left, Herbert delivered a strike to McConkey, who somehow got open. McConkey snared the pass and turned upfield. He faked Dolphins safety Dante Trader Jr. out of his cleats near midfield and, suddenly and incredibly, he was running free down the left sideline.
“As a receiver, you catch the ball, you make the first guy miss, and whatever happens after that happens,” McConkey said after a 42-yard gain that gave the Chargers the ball at the Dolphins’ 17-yard line with 22 seconds left, sending some Dolphins fans streaming to the exits.
“Ladd did a great job running across the middle, making a play and extending the game,” Herbert said after sending Miami to its fifth loss in six games.
Kimani Vidal, filling in for injured running back Omarion Hampton, moved the Chargers two yards closer to the end zone on three carries. Dicker entered the field following successful field goals of 35, 31, 29 and 35 yards. His 33-yarder then sealed the deal with five seconds left.
Safety Derwin James Jr. intercepted Tagovailoa’s final pass as time expired, the third Chargers interception of the game. Tony Jefferson and Benjamin St-Juste also picked off Tagovailoa, who had given the Chargers fits in the fourth quarter after they contained him in the first three.
“Not a sigh of relief,” James said. “Just, like, that’s what we need to do.”
It was the Chargers’ second late rally for a victory after Herbert directed two late scoring drives in a 23-20 come-from-behind victory over the Denver Broncos that completed a three-game sweep of their AFC West opponents. Losses to the New York Giants and Washington Commanders followed.
So did a number of injuries to key players.
Sunday, the Chargers were without Joe Alt and Trey Pipkins III, their top tackles, plus Jamaree Salyer, one of their best backups, was also sidelined by an injury. Austin Deculus took Alt’s spot at left tackle and Bobby Hart filled in for Pipkins at right tackle, his first start since the 2021 season.
“You know, we may look down the road and into the season and say, like, this was the win that propelled us forward,” left guard Zion Johnson said.
It was Herbert’s physical and mental strength that put the Chargers in a position to win, though, escaping the Dolphins’ pass rush and hitting McConkey for a big gain. It was a play few could make, according to coach Jim Harbaugh, who referred to Herbert as “Hercules. Just a mighty man.”
Herbert completed 29 of 38 passes for 264 yards and touchdown passes of 5 yards to McConkey and 7 to Vidal. McConkey caught seven passes for 100 yards. Oronde Gadsden, a rookie tight end, rebounded from a first-quarter fumble to catch seven passes for 68 yards.
Vidal rushed for a career-high 124 yards on 18 carries.
“That was awesome to see,” Herbert said. “(Vidal) stepped up big-time. He made some big plays last year (as a rookie), and so that’s what we’re expecting from him. He’s done a great job of listening and understanding what we’re asking of him, and he made the most of it today.”
Originally Published: October 12, 2025 at 1:23 PM PDT