National Football League
L.A. Chargers 37, N.Y. Giants 21
When: 4:05 PM ET, Sunday, December 12, 2021
Where: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
Temperature: 64°
Head Official: Tony Corrente
Attendance: 70240

Justin Herbert threw three touchdown passes and Austin Ekeler ran for a score as the Los Angeles Chargers earned a 37-21 victory Sunday over the visiting New York Giants to win consecutive games for the first time since early October.

Joshua Palmer, Jalen Guyton and Jared Cook caught touchdown passes on a day when leading Chargers receiver Keenan Allen did not play while on the COVID-19 reserve list. Herbert was 23-of-31 passing for 275 yards and now has at least 30 TD passes in each of his first two NFL seasons.

Consecutive victories give the second-place Chargers (8-5) momentum heading into an AFC West showdown Thursday at home against the first-place Kansas City Chiefs.

Mike Glennon threw two TD passes and ran for another for the Giants (4-9) in his second consecutive start with Daniel Jones out because of a neck strain. Elijhaa Penny's early TD reception made him the first New York running back or wide receiver with a TD since Week 7.

Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard (quadriceps) was active for the first time since Week 8 and caught two passes for 27 yards in the defeat, which guaranteed New York its fifth consecutive losing season.

The teams traded TDs in the first quarter with Ekeler scoring on a 1-yard run for the Chargers, while the Giants answered with Penny's 3-yard reception from Glennon. Ekeler had 67 yards rushing in the game before leaving in the third quarter with an ankle injury.

The Chargers pulled away in the second quarter. Palmer grabbed a 12-yard TD pass from Herbert for a 14-7 lead before Dustin Hopkins hit a 27-yard field goal to put Los Angeles up 17-7.

The Chargers made it 24-7 after a four-play, 75-yard drive in a mere 23 seconds, scoring on Herbert's 59-yard TD pass to Guyton with 17 seconds remaining before the half.

Hopkins added a pair of field goals in the third quarter, from 28 and 39 yards, to give the Chargers a 30-7 lead. Cook caught a 1-yard TD pass with 9:28 to play.

The Giants had 317 yards of total offense to 423 for the Chargers, with 135 of those on the ground. Running back Saquon Barkley had 64 yards rushing for New York on 16 carries and scored his first TD since Week 4 on an 18-yard reception with 4:33 remaining.

Glennon rushed for a 7-yard TD with 1:18 remaining and was 17-of-36 passing for 191 yards and an interception.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
Rushing
N.Y. Giants   L.A. Chargers
Saquon Barkley Player Austin Ekeler
16 Attempts 12
64 Yards 67
4.0 Avg Yards 5.6
0 Touchdowns 1
13 Long 17
Receiving
N.Y. Giants   L.A. Chargers
Kyle Rudolph Player Jalen Guyton
2 Receptions 3
66 Yards 87
33.0 Avg Yards 29.0
0 Touchdowns 1
60 Long 59
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
N.Y. Giants 316 135 181 3 0 0 2.0 0
L.A. Chargers 423 152 271 4 3 1 2.0 1
Upcoming Games
  • L.A. Chargers will play their next game at home against Kansas City. The Chargers have a W/L % of .429 after a win and .833 after a loss.
  • N.Y. Giants will play their next game at home against Dallas. The Giants have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .444 after a loss.