Josh Lambo kicked a field goal with the final play of the game to hand the San Diego Chargers a closely-fought 30-27 win over the Cleveland Browns at the Qualcomm Stadium this evening.
Both quarterbacks came under pressure in the first quarter, with Josh McCown losing a fumble after being sacked by Melvin Ingram, while Philip Rivers was also brought down under pressure from Chris Kirksey.
After more than 10 minutes without either side getting any points on the board, Cleveland finally opened the scoring when Travis Coons added a field goal from 33 yards out, but it did not take San Diego long to edge ahead, as Rivers launched the ball 28 yards for Keenan Allen to haul in.
The Browns moved ahead early in the second quarter as McCown spotted Duke Johnson in space on the edge of the endzone, setting the receiver up for his first NFL touchdown.
Former MLS goalkeeper Lambo added a couple of field goals for the home side to briefly put the Chargers back in front, but Coons was on target again with the final action of the first half to get the Browns back on level terms.
Isaiah Crowell kept the ball moving early in the second half with a couple of runs for the visiting side, but Cleveland were unable to get in the endzone, leaving Coons to kick again.
The lead soon changed hands again, though, as Rivers completed a short pass to Danny Woodhead, leaving the running back to run after the catch for a gain of 62 yards, before the quarterback found Ladarius Green in the endzone on the next play.
Rivers tried to get San Diego back into a promising position, but the veteran passer was sacked by Xavier Cooper, forcing the hosts to punt the ball away to Travis Benjamin, who immediately brought the ball back 31 yards.
However, the Chargers were able to extend their lead further when John Phillips was given space in the endzone, leaving Rivers with an easy pass to the tight end, putting the hosts 11 points up midway through the fourth quarter.
Coons kicked a field goal to keep Cleveland in contention, before a patient drive from the AFC North side left McCown firing a pass into the hands of tight end Gary Barnidge.
The Browns elected to go for two extra points, and managed to tie the scores with just over two minutes remaining as McCown tossed the ball forward for Taylor Gabriel to leap into the endzone with.
Rivers worked the ball back into field goal range, running the ball to make sure there would not be enough time left for Cleveland to get the ball back, and Lambo was able to make the 34-yard field goal to clinch the win.
The result means the Chargers improve to 2-2 in the 2015 season, while Cleveland slip to 1-3.
Sian Cowper
