ARLINGTON, Texas — Justin Herbert is getting more comfortable by the week with his broken left hand that's heavily protected.
Facing a beleaguered defense that isn't getting the quarterback on the ground sure helps.
Herbert threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score and the Los Angeles Chargers closed in on a playoff spot with a 34-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
The Chargers' fourth consecutive victory gave them a chance later in the day to clinch their second postseason berth in two seasons under coach Jim Harbaugh. Los Angeles (11-4) would be in with a loss or tie by either Indianapolis or Houston.
“I think the really cool thing about this team is, we've kind of taken it week by week, and we’re never looking too far ahead, and we're never looking too far back,” Herbert said. “In the past couple of weeks, I think the defense has done such a great job of just helping us out. And today we were able to kind of help out a little bit.”
Dak Prescott had TD passes on his first two drives but couldn't find the end zone again for Dallas, which was eliminated from the playoffs for the second year in a row with Philadelphia's NFC East-clinching victory at Washington on Saturday.
The Cowboys (6-8-1) have lost three in a row since a three-game winning streak that put them over .500 for the only time in coach Brian Schottenheimer's first season.
“They played a better full game than us,” said Prescott, who was 21 of 30 for 244 yards as both QBs went without an interception. “The first half, we’re rolling, and we didn’t get the stop on defense. The second half, we got the stops on defense and we weren’t doing much.”
In his third full game with his left hand completely covered, Herbert led the Chargers to touchdowns on all three drives in the first half. Omarion Hampton scored on a 5-yard run in the second half.
A 23-yard TD toss to Quentin Johnston, who played college football a few miles from the home of the Cowboys at TCU, was followed by 25-yarder to Ladd McConkey before Herbert's 1-yard plunge on a modified version of the tush push. Johnston had four catches for 104 yards.
Defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus’ move to the coaching booth from the sideline didn’t help the Dallas defense — or his case to keep this job.
Herbert was 23 of 29 — a season-high 79% — for 300 yards and the Chargers finished with 452 total yards, another season best. They didn’t reach 300 yards in the first two full games after Herbert’s injury.
“It’s getting better,” said Herbert, who broke the hand in the first game on the current winning streak. “I think the swelling’s going down. I've got much better grip on the ball now. And so I think every week, every day helps. And just getting used to it and allowing the bone to heal.”
Los Angeles punted on the first possession of the second half and was facing third-and-7 on the next drive when Herbert escaped Kenneth Murray's grasp in the backfield and sprinted 33 yards, leading to Cameron Dicker's 27-yard field goal for a 27-17 lead with 9 minutes remaining.
Herbert was slow getting up and appeared to be favoring the injured hand, but said after the game he landed on the elbow. He didn't miss any time.
“He's amazing, his accuracy, his escapility, his ability to throw on the run,” said Dallas cornerback Trevon Diggs, who played for the first time since Week 6 after dealing with a concussion and issues with his knees. “He's got it all.”
Dallas went without a sack for the second consecutive week, this time against a makeshift offensive line that has struggled to protect Herbert. He already has a career in sacks, having gone down 49 times.
“We got the ball out quick, had a great protection plan and really were on our stuff this week,” Herbert said. “So it’s a shoutout to the front five for just communicating, talking and blocking as well as they did.”
Prescott's first TD pass was a 5-yarder to Ryan Flournoy, who had another TD wiped out by a holding penalty before exiting with a knee injury and not returning.
George Pickens scored on a 38-yard catch when Prescott hit him in stride in the end zone. Pickens had seven yards on 130 catches coming off two sub-par games that led to criticisms about his playing style.
Injuries
Chargers: LT Jamaree Salyer injured a hamstring in the first half and didn't return. ... CB Donte Jackson exited with a groin injury in the third quarter and didn't return.
Cowboys: LB DeMarvion Overshown sustained a concussion in the first half and didn't return. ... C Cooper Beebe missed three plays in the first quarter after getting poked in the eye.
Up next
Chargers: Hosts Houston on Saturday.
Cowboys: At Washington on Thursday night.
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