Cincinnati Bengals fall to Los Angeles Chargers 34-27, despite massive second-half comeback

LOS ANGELES — Despite a massive second-half comeback attempt, the Cincinnati Bengals fell to the Los Angeles Chargers 34-27 in Sunday Night Football.

Every Cincinnati fan and the entire team went into Sunday knowing it was seemingly a make-or-break game for the Bengals' playoff hopes.

Cincinnati opened the game with a three-and-out drive, and the Bengals defense forced Los Angeles to do the same.

From there, Cincinnati had to settle for an Evan McPherson field goal, while the Chargers found the end zone.

Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert, who threw 17-for-36, 297 yards and two touchdowns, found tight end Will Dissly for a 29-yard touchdown pass.

Cincinnati then settled for their second field goal, while the Chargers once again found the end zone with a 26-yard pass to wide receiver Quentin Johnson.

Feeling the Chargers' momentum, the Bengals went three-and-out on their next drive, which included a Joe Burrow sack.

Herbert and the Chargers kept that momentum up ahead of halftime, with running back J.K. Dobbins finding the end zone for Los Angeles's third touchdown.

Cincinnati went into halftime on a sour note. The defense couldn't stop Herbert. The offensive line was inconsistent, allowing Burrow to be sacked three times. There was undoubtedly a sense of dread among the Bengals bench and all of Who Dey Nation.

Coming out of the locker room, the Bengals looked like a brand-new team.

Cincinnati opened the second half down 18 points and held the Chargers to a field goal before they shifted the game's momentum.

With roughly five minutes left in the third quarter, Burrow found his No. 1 guy, Ja'Marr Chase, for a 4-yard touchdown pass.

After the Bengals defense held Herbert to three-and-out, Burrow capitalized and found his other top receiver, Tee Higgins, who had suited up for the first time in weeks due to a quad injury. Burrow went deep on a fourth-down attempt for a 42-yard touchdown pass.

As Herbert went to reclaim control of the game, the Bengals defense forced him to fumble the ball, which was then recovered by Cincinnati safety Geno Stone.

In a drive to tie up the game, Burrow once again found Chase for a 17-yard touchdown.

Cincinnati kept that momentum further, once again snuffing Los Angeles's drive. Despite this, the Chargers were able to keep Cincinnati to a 48-yard field goal attempt, which McPherson missed wide left. After they stopped the Chargers again, the Bengals were given another chance to take the lead with a 51-yard field goal attempt. McPherson once again missed it wide left, marking his fourth straight miss from 50 or more yards.

Cincinnati and Los Angeles traded back-to-back three-and-outs before the Chargers sealed their victory with a 29-yard rushing touchdown from Dobbins.

Burrow was given 18 seconds left to try and score, but they fell short with a Hail Mary pass.

Cincinnati also didn't come out of the loss unscathed, with corner DJ Turner II being ruled out with a collarbone injury.

Despite the loss, head coach Zac Taylor said he believed what he saw out of his team.

“I’m not just saying it to convince others… I can see that something special can still be there. People may not believe that. That’s okay," Taylor said.

Regardless, Taylor said it's a "sick" feeling every week coming off the field with a loss similar to this.

In Burrow's post-game press conference, he was asked if this is the most frustrating season of his career, to which he replied "Yes." When asked why, the QB said "self-explanatory."

"I'm not happy with where we're at," Burrow said. "I don't think anybody is. All you can do is come back tomorrow and try to get better."

The Bengals get a break next with their bye week before they meet the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 1.