CLEVELAND (AP) — Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers only needed to be half as good to beat the Browns.
Herbert capitalized on two communication breakdowns by Cleveland's secondary to throw two touchdown passes in the first half and the Chargers' defense clamped down on Jameis Winston in a 27-10 victory Sunday over the mistake-prone Browns.
Herbert passed for 250 of his 282 yards in the opening half as the Chargers (5-3) built a 17-point halftime lead and rolled to their fifth straight win over Cleveland (2-7).
“Whenever everyone is on the same page, we're able to do things like that and push the ball down field,” said Herbert, who overcame being sacked six times. “We made a big step in the first half and took a good step forward as an offense.”
Herbert connected on a 66-yard TD pass to Quentin Johnston and a 27-yarder to Joshua Palmer as the Chargers took advantage of the Browns' communication problems.
“You can put it all on me,” said Browns cornerback Denzel Ward, who was involved in both plays. “They were gimmes.”
J.K. Dobbins had two rushing touchdowns for Los Angeles.
Herbert finished 18 of 27 and really didn't have to do much in the second half as Los Angeles' defense, which came allowing a league-low 13 points per game, intercepted Winston three times and never let the Browns gain any momentum.
Winston was sacked six times — 2 1/2 by linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu — and the Chargers limited the Browns to just 57 yards in the first 30 minutes. Rookie cornerback Tarheeb Still, Elijah Molden and Alohi Gilman had picks.
“We just go out there and chase perfection as much as possible,” said Still, who deflected Winston's pass in the end zone that Molden intercepted. “We are not going to be perfect, but we can get pretty close to it.”
Playing with a comfortable lead, Herbert essentially became a game manager in the second half as Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh leaned on his running game to put away the Browns — something his brother, Baltimore coach John Harbaugh, couldn’t do last week in a 29-24 loss to Cleveland.
Afterward, Harbaugh spent most of his postgame news conference reflecting on his deep connection to Ohio, where he spent much of his childhood, instead of detailing how easily his Chargers dismantled the Browns.
“I got a little nostalgic today before kickoff. That doesn’t normally happen, but today, it just hit me," said Harbaugh, mentioning that his parents were married in Cleveland and went to a Browns game on their honeymoon.
“They spent the night in a hotel, then walked down to the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium,” Harbaugh said. "Art Modell, he owned the team, and he gave high school football coaches free tickets. My dad got them. The roots are deep in Ohio for the Harbaugh family."
Both of Herbert’s TD passes were the result of communication breakdowns by Cleveland's secondary.
On the first, Palmer got free down the right sideline for an easy TD. The second came when Johnston got behind Ward, who seemed to think he was getting deep help from safety Juan Thornhill.
“We've got to have all 11 guys on the same page,” said Thornhill, who didn't Ward to take the blame. “ said. ”We didn't communicate well at all."
Star defensive end Myles Garrett was the lone bright spot for the Browns, getting three sacks in a four-play span in the first half.
“What a great player, (No.) 95, my gosh," Harbaugh said of Garrett. "He's so good.”
The Browns spent much of the week talking about renewed hope after Winston replaced the injured Deshaun Watson last week and three TD passes and for 334 yards as the Browns stunned the Ravens.
There was no such magic this week for Winston, who was off target and ineffective. He did throw a 17-yard TD pass to Cedric Tillman in the final minute.
“We have to eliminate plays that hurt us,” Winston said. “I had three of them.”
Herbert's 27-yard scoring pass to Palmer was set up by a 53-yard punt return from Darius Davis to Cleveland's 30.
TRADE TALK
There continues to be rumors and rumblings the Browns will deal defensive end Za’Darius Smith to the Detroit Lions ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline.
Smith signed a two-year contract with Cleveland in March.
The Lions have been looking for another edge rusher after recently losing star end Aidan Hutchinson with a broken leg.
After the game, Smith acted surprised when he was told about a report that he'll be traded in the next 24 hours.
“Oh, that happened?" Smith said to reporters. “See you all.”
INJURIES
Chargers: LB Junior Colson went out with an ankle injury in the second quarter and didn't return. ... CB Ja'Sir Taylor (fibula) didn't play in the second half. ... WR Simi Fehoko walked to the locker room in the fourth quarter holding his right arm.
Browns: LT Dawand Jones, who made his second straight start over Jedrick Wills Jr., went to the locker room in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury but returned.
UP NEXT
Chargers: Host Tennessee on Nov. 10, the first of three straight home games.
Browns: A bye week followed by a Nov. 17 game at New Orleans.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Tom Withers, The Associated Press
