Los Angeles Chargers have a pair of 2024 draft picks to thank for surviving scare in Miami

Travis Wakeman

Los Angeles Chargers have a pair of 2024 draft picks to thank for surviving scare in Miami image

The Los Angeles Chargers needed some players to step up amid the myriad of injuries they have had so far this season and they got that on Sunday. 

The Miami Dolphins gave them a big scare, grabbing a 27-26 lead with only 46 seconds left to play. But Jim Harbaugh's team rallied to set up a late field goal by Cameron Dicker, winning 29-27 to improve to 4-2 on the season and keep hold of first place in the AFC West. 

The Chargers created three turnovers in this one, but they had a hard time slowing down the Miami offense when it wasn't beating itself. Looking back on the victory, the Chargers should hand out two game balls. 

Los Angeles Chargers Week 6 game balls

Game ball #1: Kimani Vidal

With Omarion Hampton out of the lineup this week, there were plenty of questions about how the Chargers would distribute the ball in the running game. 

Prior to the game, reports came out that Hassan Haskins would be the team's lead back and handle the majority of the touches. It ended up being the exact opposite of that as he was only given six carries on the day. 

Kimani Vidal, on the other hand, had his breakout game. Vidal carried the ball 18 times for 124 yards and added three receptions for 14 yards and a touchdown. It was a bit of a surprise when the Chargers waived Vidal following the preseason and were lucky that he didn't get claimed off waivers so they could bring him back to the practice squad. 

The team may need to rethink that after this performance because if they demote him back to the practice squad, there is a good chance another team will swoop in and grab him. 

Game ball #2: Ladd McConkey

Chargers fans have been waiting patiently for Ladd McConkey to start to look like he did as a rookie, and that happened on Sunday. 

McConkey caught seven passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. With Quentin Johnston out of the lineup for this game, Justin Herbert needed one of his wide receivers to come up big and the second-year star did. The biggest play he made in this game was this one:

 

Facing 2nd-and-10 with only 34 seconds remaining and no time outs left, Herbert avoided a sack that would have all but ended the game to find McConkey who made a defender miss before racing for 43 yards to set up the game-winning field goal. 

READ: Chargers are checking around the league for a running back trade

To say the Chargers needed this play would be a massive understatement considering their upcoming schedule and the way things were trending for the team. If the Chargers go on to have big success this season, this is a play to remember as hugely important. 

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Travis Wakeman

Travis Wakeman has been covering the NFL since 2012 when he started with Bleacher Report. After reporting about the Broncos there until 2016, he joined the FanSided network as a site expert covering the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers while simultaneously covering the Broncos at Broncos Wire when that site launched. He then took over the Broncos site at FanSided in March 2020 and covered the team there until spring of 2024. A lifelong Broncos fan and fan of the game, Travis is filled with sometimes useless NFL knowledge, but it always serves him well in any trivia contest. You can follow him on Twitter/X @traviswakeman10.