Chargers' unsung heroes in wild win over Dolphins are a pair you'd never expect

From now until the end of time, whenever anyone discusses the Los Angeles Chargers' wild Week 6 29-27 comeback win over the Miami Dolphins, the conversation will undoubtedly always begin with the unbelievable 42-yard pass play involving Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey during the Bolts' final offensive drive that ultimately resulted in Cameron Dicker's game-winning 33-yard field goal.

And deservedly so.

On a play that head coach Jim Harbaugh says "will be burned in my mind until they throw dirt over top of me," Herbert defied logic by escaping the wrath of Miami edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, who had him completely wrapped up, and then firing a pass to McConkey, who made Dolphins safety Dante Trader Jr. look ridiculous before working his way down the sidelines for the aforementioned 42-yard gain.

After a trio of Kimani Vidal runs to take a little time off the clock—what a day for him, by the way—Dicker came in, did his thing, and that was that. At least that's how the easy version of the story will continue to be told.

The more complete version of that final 46 seconds, however, features a couple of additional heroes who haven't received nearly as much credit for the roles they played, those being Nyheim Miller-Hines and J.K. Scott.

Nyheim Miller-Hines and J.K. Scott played massive roles in the Chargers' win over the Dolphins

After the Dolphins took a 27-26 lead with 46 ticks remaining, there was obviously still the matter of the ensuing kickoff, which Miami kicker Riley Patterson executed beautifully, sending the ball 64 yards to the Chargers' 1-yard line. And it was from there where Miller-Hines went to work, finding a gap and using an incredible burst of speed for a 40-yard gain, thus giving Herbert a great place to start what obviously turned out to be the game-winning drive.

And what a moment that must have been for Miller-Hines, who hadn't appeared in a game that actually mattered since the 2022 season as a member of the Buffalo Bills. The 28-year-old was added to the Bolts' roster in training camp, mainly because of his ability as a returner.

Despite a solid preseason, Miller-Hines was released on August 26, re-signed to the practice squad the following day, and then released again on September 7. With both Najee Harris and Omarion Hampton on injured reserve, the NC State alum, who never signed with another team, was re-signed to the practice squad last Tuesday. And with usual return man Derius Davis also down with a knee injury, Miller-Hines was elevated to the main roster and obviously made the most of his opportunity.

Miller-Hines certainly doesn't deserve all the credit for that big return, as KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Marlowe Wax deserve their just due as well for throwing key blocks that opened the lane for Hines to burst through.

As for punter J.K. Scott, his heroics, which obviously came on Dicker's kick, were extremely easy to miss in real time.

While Dicker's game-winning field goal split the uprights, the only reason he had a chance to do so was because Scott quickly corralled a wayward snap from Rick Lovato and got the ball where it needed to be—laces out, of course.

Every winning team needs unsung heroes, and the Chargers certainly had more than one on Sunday.