Skip to main content

Justin Herbert tosses 3 TDs, Chargers clinch a playoff spot with a 40-7 rout of Patriots

Image
By

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — 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 9 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 6-yard touchdown pass to put Los Angeles in front 17-0.

Injuries

Chargers: WR Joshua Palmer left the game in the third quarter with a heel injury. DB Elijah Molden limped off the field after a collision in the third quarter. He returned but was later driven off the field on a golf cart because of a shin injury.

Patriots: In addition to Maye, CB Christian Gonzalez left the game in the second quarter to be evaluated for a head injury and was later ruled out with a concussion.

Rookie record

McConkey, a second-round draft selection, also set a Chargers rookie record for catches, surpassing Keenan Allen, who had 71 in 2013.

Up next

Chargers: Visit Las Vegas in their regular-season finale.

Patriots: Host Buffalo next Sunday in their season finale.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

from Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News
Source: https://ift.tt/zUbx0g7
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Virginia family gets keys to Habitat for Humanity’s first 3D-printed home in the US

By
(CNN) — One Virginia family received the keys to their new  3D-printed home  in time for Christmas. The home is Habitat for Humanity’s first 3D-printed home in the nation,  according to a Habitat news release. Janet V. Green, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg, told CNN it partnered with Alquist, a 3D printing company, earlier this year to begin the process. The 1,200-square-foot home has three bedrooms, two full baths and was built from concrete. The technology allowed the home to be built in just 12 hours, which saves about four weeks of construction time for a typical home. April Stringfield purchased the home through the  Habitat Homebuyer Program . She will move in with her 13-year-old son just in time for the holidays. “My son and I are so thankful,” Stringfield said in a  live feed streamed on Habitat’s Facebook  page. “I always wanted to be a homeowner. It’s like a dream come true.” To purchase the home, Stringfiel...
Post a Comment
Recent News

Lawsuit: High school football player says coaches forced him to eat pizza as punishment, violating religious beliefs

By
CANTON, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio high school football player who says coaches forced him to eat a pizza covered with pepperoni grease in violation of his religious beliefs is suing his former district and the ousted coaches. The former Canton McKinley High School athlete and his parents filed a federal civil rights suit this week seeking millions of dollars in damages and alleging violations of his religious freedom and constitutional rights. The athlete says in the lawsuit that coaches were notified he doesn’t eat pork or pork residue as a member of the Hebrew Israelite religious faith, but that they ordered him to eat the pizza as punishment for missing an offseason workout — and indicated his spot on the team was at risk if he didn’t. The coaches say the player chose to remove pepperoni and eat the pizza rather than an alternative food. They weren’t aware it violated his religious beliefs, according to a  defamation case they filed  previously against the teen’s father, his a...
Post a Comment
Recent News

Bergeron, Pastrnak and Bruins finish off Capitals in 5 games

By
WASHINGTON (AP) — Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak dazzled on offense, Tuukka Rask was rock solid in net and the Boston Bruins are moving on to the second round of the playoffs. Bergeron scored twice at crucial times after Pastrnak’s  highlight-reel  goal, Rask made 40 saves and the Bruins eliminated the Washington Capitals in five games with a 3-1 victory Sunday night. Bergeron delivered the dagger with 7:35 left to set up a second-round showdown against either the Pittsburgh Penguins or New York Islanders. Chants of “TUUKK!” emanated from a large group of black and gold-clad Boston fans who were part of the limited-capacity sellout crowd of 5,333. Those were occasionally interrupted by “We want the Cup!” — the trophy the Bruins last won a decade ago after a 39-year title drought. They’re 12 wins away, thanks to their best players dominating in Game 5. Pastrnak made it look easy putting the puck behind his back and through his legs, assisted on Bergeron’s first goal an...
Post a Comment
Recent News