The Los Angeles Chargers won in thrilling fashion on Sunday night, defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 34-27. It didn't come without drama however, as the Chargers surrendered what was initially a 21-point lead.
Maybe in past years, the Chargers would've folded and let the Bengals steal every last ounce of momentum. It wasn't the case this time around, as Jim Harbaugh's team fought until the end with a valiant game-winning drive. It was a well-orchestrated performance from Justin Herbert and rookie Ladd McConkey.
The two failed on a wide open pass on the previous drive, but connected on two key plays that led to J.K. Dobbins' 29 yard touchdown run to take the lead with 18 seconds to go. Super Bowl winning head coach Jon Gruden was in love with the way the Chargers utilized McConkey on the final drive.
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"On the 65th play, they call for McConkey, their rookie in the slot one more time," Gruden said. "But this time, they told Joshua Palmer, 'hey, you clear it out and you try to take a double with you.' And this time, let's let our good friend McConkey show Mike Hilton that out route, but let's run the double move and take it up. And he got the veteran Hilton to bite, and McConkey made a great catch to get a 26-yard gain."
It was actually a 28-yard gain for McConkey, who then followed it up with a 27-yard catch two plays later. Fans have to feel just as hyped as Gruden was when watching that play.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/chargers/ as Jon Gruden is in love with Jim Harbaugh's Chargers.