Justin Herbert, Jim Harbaugh Impress NFL Fans as Chargers Rally to Beat Nix, Broncos

The Los Angeles Chargers scored 21 unanswered second-half points en route to a 34-27 comeback victory against the AFC West rival Denver Broncos on Thursday in L.A.'s SoFi Stadium.

Bolts quarterback Justin Herbert completed 23-of-31 passes for 284 yards, two touchdowns and one interception to lead the 9-6 Chargers, who find themselves on the doorstep of clinching an AFC Wild Card berth after this win.

Chargers running back Gus Edwards rushed for 68 yards and two touchdowns. His second score, from five yards out, cut the Broncos' lead to 24-19 in the third quarter.

L.A. missed the two-point conversion, but the Chargers then forced a three-and-out and marched 78 yards down the field capped by a beautiful 19-yard Herbert dime to Demario Davis.

That throw got people talking.

Herbert then connected on a two-point conversion with Josh Palmer, who made a circus catch to give L.A. a 27-24 lead with 12:23 left.

The Chargers' defense continued its tremendous second half, stonewalling the Broncos on their next two possessions. L.A.'s offense then took care of business thanks to three big plays: a 16-yard Herbert scramble, a 43-yard Edwards run and a 34-yard flip pass to Hassan Haskins for a crucial touchdown with 2:27 remaining.

Denver snuck in a 55-yard Wil Lutz field goal with 57 seconds left, but the Chargers recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock to earn the win.

Credit, of course, goes to a Chargers defense that settled down after letting up three first-half touchdowns.

L.A. kicker Cameron Dicker also became the first player since 1976 to make a fair catch free kick, nailing one from 57 yards out to cut the Broncos' lead to 21-13 at halftime.

Herbert's performance guided L.A. to victory, but head coach Jim Harbaugh, in his first year with the Chargers, has successfully turned around a team that hasn't made the playoffs in six years.

There's a little more work to be done on that front, but in the meantime, Herbert and Harbaugh received well-deserved praise.

L.A. can get to the playoffs in a few different ways, but at this very moment, it's win-and-in for the Bolts. The Chargers will be heavily favored in their last two games at the 3-11 New England Patriots and 2-12 Las Vegas Raiders. The Pats are up first on Saturday, Dec. 28 at 1 p.m. ET.