Justin Herbert’s Offense Powers Chargers to 11–4 After 34–17 Win Over Cowboys

Jim Harbaugh ran onto the field yelling “great job” to his offense after rookie Omarion Hampton punched in a five-yard touchdown to put the game away in Dallas.

Sunday’s 34–17 victory over the Cowboys (6–8–1) gave Harbaugh’s Chargers (11–4) their 11th win of the season—marking back-to-back 11-win campaigns. The franchise hadn’t accomplished that since 2006–07. However, the Chargers changed head coaches in between, going from Marty Schottenheimer to Norv Turner, meaning no Chargers head coach had done it until now since Don Coryell from 1979–81, when he accomplished the feat three years in a row.

The Chargers offense ran smoothly behind Justin Herbert, who finished 23-for-29 for 300 yards and two passing touchdowns. Rookie Hampton added 85 rushing yards and a rushing score. The offense totaled 34 points, something the Chargers hadn’t done since their Week 8 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

What had been the bread and butter for the Chargers the last two weeks—defensive dominance—didn’t get jump-started early on Sunday. In the second half, however, the defense settled in and held the Cowboys scoreless.

This was a solid test for the Chargers.

Here’s how it went down.

Dak Prescott opened the game with the ball and quickly moved the Cowboys into Chargers territory with a 14-yard pass to George Pickens followed by a 13-yard completion to CeeDee Lamb. The key play came on 4th-and-2 from the Chargers’ 39-yard line when Prescott threw it up to Pickens for a 28-yard gain against Cam Hart in one-on-one coverage. Three plays later, Prescott found Ryan Flournoy for a five-yard touchdown. Prescott went 6-for-7 for 69 yards on the opening drive.

Three plays into their first drive, Herbert faced 3rd-and-4 from the Chargers’ 36-yard line and found rookie Tre Harris (four catches, 54 yards) on an out route. What should have been a short gain turned into a 23-yard pickup after Harris evaded a tackle. Harris followed that up with an 11-yard reception, giving him two catches for 34 yards on the opening drive. Two plays later, Herbert finished the drive with a beautiful 23-yard pass into a tight window to Quentin Johnston (four catches, 104 yards, one touchdown), who made a one-handed catch in the end zone to tie the game.

On the next Cowboys drive, Prescott moved the ball methodically. None of the 16 plays went for more than nine yards. The key moment came on 3rd-and-4 from the Chargers’ five-yard line when Prescott found Flournoy in the end zone again, but left tackle Tyler Smith was flagged for holding Khalil Mack. The Cowboys failed to convert, and Brandon Aubrey hit a 33-yard field goal to give Dallas a 10–7 lead.

The Chargers answered with a rookie-led drive. Harris caught a 14-yard pass, followed by an 18-yard run from Hampton. Herbert then found Ladd McConkey (four catches, 43 yards, one touchdown) for 10 yards and tight end Will Dissly for 15. Three plays later, Herbert hit a wide-open McConkey for a 25-yard touchdown. At that point, Herbert was 8-for-9 for 126 yards and two touchdowns, giving the Chargers a 14–10 lead.

Robin Alam - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey #15 celebrates after scoring a touchdown during an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, on Sunday December 21, 2025 in Arlington, Texas.

Prescott needed just four plays to go 80 yards on the next drive, aided by a 13-yard catch from Flournoy and a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman. Two plays later, Prescott again found Pickens one-on-one with Hart and hit him over the top for a 38-yard touchdown to retake the lead at 17–14.

The Chargers needed points before halftime, especially to avoid giving Dallas another possession.

Herbert delivered, leading a 7:49 drive. One key play came on 3rd-and-9 from the Chargers’ 32-yard line when Herbert found rookie KeAndre Lambert-Smith for a short gain. Lambert-Smith evaded a tackle and shimmied his way to a first down. Ten plays later, Herbert faced 3rd-and-5 from the Cowboys’ 13-yard line. Rolling left, he looked poised to run before shoveling a pass to Keenan Allen for 12 yards down to the one-yard line. On the next play, Herbert was pushed into the end zone by Scott Matlock for the touchdown, giving the Chargers a 21–17 halftime lead.

Coming out of the half, both defenses appeared to have made adjustments, as each side produced two stops after a 38-point first half.

Two plays into the second half, Herbert connected with Johnston for a 50-yard gain near the sideline. Three plays later, Cowboys defensive tackle Kenny Clark stopped Herbert for a one-yard gain as he tried to escape the pocket, forcing Cameron Dicker to convert a 37-yard field goal for a 24–17 lead.

On Prescott’s first drive of the second half, he converted a 3rd-and-9 by scrambling and finding fullback Hunter Luepke for 14 yards. Three plays later, Prescott scrambled again on 3rd-and-10, but safety Derwin James limited him to a six-yard gain, forcing the first punt of the game.

The Chargers went three-and-out on their next possession, aided by a questionable play call on 3rd-and-1 from their own 26. Instead of running or throwing underneath, Herbert went deep to Johnston in one-on-one coverage, but the pass was underthrown.

Jesse Minter’s defense remained under pressure from Lamb and Pickens, who each made big catches on the next drive—Pickens for 22 yards and Lamb for 18. However, the Chargers defense came up big on 4th-and-1 from their own 16-yard line when Luepke was stuffed on a fullback dive for no gain, resulting in a turnover on downs. A strong second-half answer from Minter’s unit.

The Chargers now face a difficult final stretch. Next Saturday, they host the Houston Texans, who are rolling and beat the Chargers in last year’s Wild Card round. To close the season, the Chargers travel to Denver to face the Broncos in a game that could decide the AFC West—if the Chargers beat Houston and Denver loses to either Jacksonville or Kansas City.

Sunday’s game provided the defense with a glimpse of the challenges they may face in the playoffs. While no other AFC team features two 1,000-yard receivers, there are plenty of dangerous offenses ahead.

First things first: the Chargers need to finish strong. They’ll need Jamaree Salyer, Benjamin St-Juste, Kimani Vidal, and Donte Jackson healthy for the postseason after all four left Sunday’s game with injuries.

Reaching 11 wins in back-to-back seasons under Harbaugh is noteworthy, especially given the franchise’s history prior to his arrival. Harbaugh’s squad has now won seven of its last eight games and is rolling into next Saturday’s matchup against Houston—a game that will say a lot about where this team stands heading into the playoffs.