Chargers defeat Dallas Cowboys for their seventh win in eight games

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Chargers are under the radar and over the moon.

They are methodically compiling victories — the latest, Sunday’s 34-17 thumping of the Dallas Cowboys — and perfectly content on the fringes of the national spotlight.

Lots of people wrote them off when those offensive linemen started falling like tall timber, yet the Chargers have found ways to win in spite of that. Seven times in eight games they have walked away victorious, keeping them in the running for the top seed in the AFC.

“We’re not worried about the outside noise,” said edge rusher Khalil Mack, part of a defense that has pitched second-half shutouts two weeks in a row. “Not getting too high, not getting too low. Staying even-keeled and trying to stack wins.”

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Takeaways from Chargers’ win over Cowboys

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Sam Farmer breaks down what went right for the Chargers in their 34-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

🏈 Chargers 34, Cowboys 17 — FINAL

The Chargers moved to the edge of a playoff berth, defeating the Dallas Cowboys for their seventh win in eight games.

After the Chargers’ final touchdown, the Cowboys put in Joe Milton III at quarterback. On his fourth snap, Milton lost the ball on a fumble forced by Derwin James Jr. and recovered by Tuli Tuipulotu.

If the Houston Texans lose or tie against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon or the Indianapolis Colts lose or tie against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night, the Chargers will clinch a playoff spot.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert completed 23 of 29 passes for 300 yards and two touchdowns. Omarion Hampton rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown in 16 carries, and receiver Quentin Johnston caught four passes for 104 yards and a touchdown.

🏈 Chargers 34, Cowboys 17 — 4:48 left in the fourth quarter

Rookie running back Omarion Hampton scored on a five-yard run to give the Chargers a commanding lead late in the fourth quarter.

Quentin Johnston caught a 25-yard pass from Herbert on third down to keep the eventual, six-play, 46-yard drive alive. A 10-yard run by Hampton moved the ball into the red zone.

Hampton has 81 yards in 15 carries.

With the game seemingly out of reach, the Cowboys put in Joe Milton III at quarterback on the ensuing possession.

🏈 Chargers 27, Cowboys 17 — 6:14 left in the fourth quarter

The Chargers have forced the Cowboys into a turnover on downs on back-to-back possessions.

On fourth and 10, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott just managed to throw away the ball before being brought down by Tuli Tuipulotu and Odafe Oweh.

Justin Herbert and the Chargers took over at the Dallas 46-yard line.

🏈 Chargers 27, Cowboys 17 — 8:57 left in the fourth quarter

The Chargers had to settle for a 27-yard field goal from Cameron Dicker after a costly penalty near the goal line thwarted a touchdown opportunity.

Trevor Penning was called for false start on third and one from the Cowboys’ four-yard line. On the next play, Justin Herbert threw an incomplete pass after being flushed out of the pocket.

Keenan Allen caught an 11-yard pass to move the ball into the red zone before Herbert connected with Quentin Johnston on a six-yard pass.

The key play of the 14-play, 75-yard drive came on a 34-yard scramble by Justin Herbert, who briefly lost the ball when he was brought down before immediately recovering.

Chargers running back Kimani Vidal sustained a neck injury on the drive and was listed as questionable to return.

On the previous possession, the Cowboys drove to red zone. But on fourth and one, Dallas opted to go for it instead of trying for a field goal, and the Chargers stuffed fullback Hunter Luepke at the line to force a turnover on downs at the 16-yard line. Da’Shawn Hand and Jamaree Caldwell were at the center of the play.

🏈 Chargers 24, Cowboys 17 — 7:25 left in the third quarter

After punters were kept off the field the entire first half, the Cowboys and Chargers each punted on consecutive possessions in the third quarter.

Dallas punted after the Chargers defense stymied a six-play, 21-yard drive before Justin Herbert went three and out on the ensuing possession.

🏈 Chargers 24, Cowboys 17 — 11:51 left in the third quarter

Cameron Dicker kicked a 37-yard field goal to extend the Chargers’ lead on the opening possession of the second half.

The six-play, 57-yard drive featured a spectacular leaping catch by Quentin Johnston for 50 yards.

Chargers cornerback Donte Jackson sustained a groin injury in the first half and will not return to the game.

🏈 Chargers 21, Cowboys 17 — HALFTIME

Justin Herbert was shoved into the end zone on a one-yard scoring scramble to push the Chargers back into the lead with 19 seconds left in the first half.

One play earlier, Herbert, scrambling forward just before reaching the line of scrimmage, made an unusual shovel pass to Keenan Allen for 12 yards to put the ball on the one, setting up the touchdown.

Allen caught a nine-yard pass from Herbert to move the ball into the red zone.

Omarion Hampton helped fuel the drive with runs of six, 12 and eight yards.

On the Cowboys’ ensuing possession, Tuli Tuipulotu sacked to send the game into halftime.

Herbert completed 14 of 16 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. Hampton has 48 yards in seven carries.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott completed 14 of 18 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns. Javonte Williams rushed for 33 yards in seven carries.

The Chargers will receive the ball to open the second half. There were no punts or turnovers in the first half — a feat that hasn’t happened in the NFL since Week 6 (Patriots vs. Saints).

🏈 Cowboys 17, Chargers 14 — 8:08 left in the second quarter

George Pickens beat Cam Hart in coverage and caught a perfect 38-yard touchdown strike from Dak Prescott to put Dallas back ahead.

The speedy, four-play, 80-yard drive was aided by a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on Denzel Perryman for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Cowboys receiver Ryan Flournoy.

Prescott has completed 13 of 17 passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns. Pickens has four catches for 86 yards.

Chargers left tackle Jamaree Salyer, who left for the locker room in the first quarter because of a hamstring injury, will not return to the game.

🏈 Chargers 14, Cowboys 10 — 9:45 left in the second quarter

Ladd McConkey caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Justin Herbert to put the Chargers ahead in the second quarter.

The pass completed a seven-play, 87-yard drive.

Herbert has completed eight of nine passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns so far. Omarion Hampton has 25 yards in three carries, the bulk of which came on a 18-yard run. Tre’ Harris has 48 yards on three receptions.

🏈 Cowboys 10, Chargers 7 — 14:04 left in the second quarter

Brandon Aubrey kicked a 33-yard field goal to put the Cowboys back ahead after the Chargers defense prevented Dak Prescott from connecting with KaVontae Turpin in the end zone on third down.

Before the incomplete pass to Turpin, a holding penalty on Tyler Smith nullified a touchdown pass to Ryan Flournoy.

Prescott completed six passes on the 16-play, 56-yard drive.

🏈 Chargers 7, Cowboys 7 — 6:43 left in the first quarter

Quentin Johnston made an incredible one-handed grab on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Justin Herbert in tight coverage to help tie the score.

Johnston managed to get his hand on the ball and hook it in toward his body while at full sprint in the end zone. The wide receiver is back on the field after missing last week’s win over the Chiefs with a groin injury.

The catch capped an efficient, six-play, 65-yard drive for the Chargers that included rookie receiver Tre’ Harris catching passes for 23 and 11 yards.

Chargers left tackle Jamaree Salyer sustained a hamstring injury on the drive and is listed as questionable to return. Austin Deculus replaced him.

🏈 Cowboys 7, Chargers 0 — 10:20 left in the first quarter

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott completed a five-yard pass to receiver Ryan Flournoy to give the Cowboys an early lead.

Earlier in the 10-play, 79-yard drive on fourth and two, Prescott connected on a 28-yard pass to George Pickens that moved the Cowboys into the red zone.

Prescott completed six of seven passes for 69 yards on the drive.

Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston (groin), defensive lineman Teair Tart (shin) and safety Elijah Molden (hamstring) are active for Sunday against the Cowboys.

Here are the players who will not be suiting up for the Chargers on Sunday:

Los Angeles Times NFL writer Sam Farmer examines the matchups and makes his predictions for Week 16 of the NFL season.

All lines and over/under numbers are according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Last week, Farmer posted a 9-7 (.563) record. Through the first 15 weeks of the season, he is 145-79 (.647).

ARLINGTON, Texas — The NFL regular season is turning down the stretch and the playoff picture is coming into focus, and that means not just the teams but the league’s scheduling crew is hard at work.

The Chargers, who play at Dallas on Sunday, can secure a postseason berth with a victory and some help from a team or two. Coupled with a win over the Cowboys, the Chargers need Las Vegas to win at Houston (unlikely) or San Francisco to win at Indianapolis (more likely) so they can rest easy knowing they’re at least in the playoffs for the second consecutive season under Jim Harbaugh.

Although the Rams have already qualified for the playoffs, they need to regain their balance after a spirit-snapping loss at Seattle on Thursday that likely cost them a chance at the NFC’s No. 1 seed.

Denzel Perryman quickly listed name after name as he dove deep into his mental roster of the 2015 Chargers.

Manti Teʻo, Melvin Ingram, Kavell Conner and Donald Butler took Perryman under their wing, the Chargers linebacker said. The 11-year veteran said he relied on older teammates when he entered the NFL as they helped him adjust to the schedule and regimen of professional football.

“When I was a young guy,” Perryman said, “my head was all over the place — just trying to get the gist of the NFL. They taught me how to be where my mind is.”

It’s a testament to the coaching of Jim Harbaugh that the Chargers have been decidedly un-Charger-like this season, continuing to win games despite a slew of pivotal injuries. They’re coming off back-to-back victories over the two teams in last season’s Super Bowl, Philadelphia and Kansas City.

Their challenge Sunday is beating the Cowboys, who went 3-1 in November but began this month with consecutive losses.

The Cowboys lead the league in offense, rolling up nearly 400 yards per game, but they’re 29th in total defense and last against the pass. Facing Justin Herbert is not a favorable matchup for them.