Philip Rivers enjoyed a happy return to London as his Los Angeles Chargers beat the Tennessee Titans 20-19 in a thrilling finish at Wembley.
Rivers put the Chargers in control with long touchdown passes to Tyrell Williams and Mike Williams at the start of each half, but the game went down to the final seconds as Tennessee scored a touchdown in the final minute.
Titans coach Mike Vrabel passed up the chance to go to overtime as he told his players to go for a two-point conversion, only to watch Marcus Mariota’s pass be tipped away by Adrian Phillips.
It was an incredible finish to a game which had otherwise been slow to spark, highlighted by Chargers touchdowns early in the first and third quarters.
But when the dust settled Rivers had a victory in London – 10 years after he came here with the then San Diego Chargers and lost 37-32 to the New Orleans Saints in the second NFL game to be played at Wembley.
First Rivers continued the partnership with Tyrell Williams which has brought such handsome profits this season, hitting the wide receiver with a 75-yard touchdown pass on the first play of their first drive.
And it was a similar story to start the second half as Rivers found Mike Williams with a 55-yard touchdown pass to put the Chargers 17-6 up.
The Titans quickly hit back with their first visit to the end zone – a one-yard run up the middle from Derrick Henry to cap a 42-yard drive.
It offered encouragement to a Tennessee team that has struggled offensively this season – and was shut out entirely by the Baltimore Ravens last week.
Their frustrations were on show in a first half which saw them reach the end zone three times – all on the back of Mariota – but settle for a pair of Ryan Succop field goals before Mariota was picked off by Denzel Perryman in the final minute of the second quarter.
Los Angeles had hardly had things their own way, slowed by the absence of star running back Melvin Gordon with a hamstring injury.
After that lightning start, there was only a Michael Badgley field goal to add to Tyrell Williams’ touchdown before the half, but there had been warning signs – with Titans cornerback Logan Ryan getting a vital touch to knock Rivers’ pass away from Williams in the end zone moments before.
Rivers was looking for Mike Williams in the end zone at the start of the fourth quarter but Ryan was there again to break it up, and the Chargers had to settle for a 28-yard field goal from Badgley to make it 20-13.
That left the door open for Tennessee and they almost barged clean through it on their final drive.
Dion Lewis broke tackle after tackle to pick up 36 yards on one run before Mariota found Tajae Sharpe for another 16 yards immediately after.
Mariota burst into the end zone once only to see the play overturned on review, so simply repeated the trick a moment later.
The obvious call for most head coaches would have been to take the point after and go to overtime, but Vrabel is wired differently.
It cost his team on this occasion, but thrilled the 84,000 at Wembley.
The second of three NFL games to be played at the national stadium on consecutive weekends this month, this was a ‘home’ game for the Chargers, who have struggled to build a fanbase in Los Angeles since moving north from San Diego last year.
There is still a long way to go in the season, but with this victory moving the Chargers to 5-2, a trip to the play-offs could be just the boost they need.