Welcome to Game Breaker, where I will attempt to break down the most important play of the previous Chargers game. Today, you know exactly which play we're going to break down, but let's re-live it anyway.
I, like most of you, thought that the Los Angeles Chargers were about to lose to the Miami Dolphins when the Dolphins took a 27-26 lead with 00:46 left on the clock in the 4th quarter. And I was wrong.
That being said, I thought the Chargers were clearly the better-coached and more talented team, and in that way I was right. I just wasn't right the entire game.
Anyway, back to the play. Let's start before the ball is snapped.
That's at least six guys protecting Justin Herbert for the Chargers, with at least three guys going out on route to try and get into field goal range.
The Dolphins look like they have five guys rushing the passer, a couple of guys playing zone on the edges (they probably assumed the Chargers would throw a pass to the sidelines and get out of bounds).
Now, it looks like there's just one safety, but there's another one even deeper, who is off the screen to the right. That guy is just making sure the defense doesn't get beat over the top.
The ball is snapped, and we know everyone's jobs now. Keenan Allen is dragging the CB and (deep) safety down the field and out of the play.
I think Oronde Gadsden II is the TE who chips the pass rusher and has a defender waiting for him in coverage. The safety in the middle of the field shows man and seems to be protecting against a screen pass to Haskins.
Gadsden and McConkey are running crossing routes over the middle as a backup plan in case Allen and Quentin Johnson are covered downfield. Their job, if they get the ball, will be to get out of bounds as fast as possible so that the offense can try again next play.
Uh oh! This a complete breakdown by the offensive line and Herbert is in their crosshairs.
Oh yeah, Herbert is definitely sacked here. That might be game. Oh well.
Nevermind! Herbert refuses to go down and throws the defender off of him like a ragdoll. Several players have clearly switched from running to jogging, thinking the play is over, and now Herbert has a clean pocket and a second to scan for help.
Unfortunately, what you can't really see from this view is the miscommunication between the zone defenders in the middle of the field that led to two of them chasing Gadsden and nobody covering McConkey.
This is about as clear of a shot as we get of it on the broadcast:
What you can clearly notice is that McConkey is about to catch a pass with lots of space to run, which is a thing he's good at.
Sometimes, it's not just about which guy is faster or quicker, but how much room the ballcarrier has to work with. This, for an NFL WR, is a ton of room. Dante Trader Jr. didn't stand a chance to bring McConkey down.
Sweet, sweet daylight. And the rest is history.
The Chargers did a pretty cool job of breaking this down by individual player on social media:
A lot went into this play, and this win, for the Chargers. But, at the end of the day, what made it work was Herbert breaking a tackle in the pocket when his protection broke down and quickly identifying the mistake made by the Dolphins defense.
I could make an argument that Herbert is having his best and most impressive NFL season behind one of the worst offensive lines he's played behind, which is exactly what we've come to expect from him. Just like we all knew he would come through in the final 46 seconds to win that game.
Yes, all of us.