The Broncos can still clinch a playoff berth this weekend, but the Chargers prevented them from doing so on Thursday night.
Los Angeles defeated Denver 34-27, putting the Chargers a step closer to punching a ticket to the postseason in their first year under head coach Jim Harbaugh.
While the Broncos had a 21-13 lead at halftime, the Chargers were able to take control of the game in the third quarter. Running back Gus Edwards capped a 10-play drive with a 5-yard touchdown, to make the score 24-19 with a failed two-point conversion.
Then after another defensive stop, Los Angeles got in the end zone with a 19-yard touchdown from Justin Herbert to Derius Davis. Joshua Palmer caught the two-point conversion to give the Chargers their first lead of the night with 12:23 left in the fourth quarter.
While Denver had two opportunities to tie it, the club couldn’t get into scoring position.
On a four-minute drive, a 16-yard, third-down scramble by Justin Herbert followed by a 43-yard run by Gus Edwards helped put Los Angeles in Denver territory. Then Herbert found Hassan Haskins over the middle, with the running back taking it for a 34-yard touchdown to give Los Angeles a late 10-point advantage.
The Broncos had taken a commanding 21-10 lead with 6:22 left in the first half, as Devaughn Vele’s 6-yard touchdown catch gave the club three TDs on its first three possessions.
But Denver wasn’t able to put the ball back in the box for the rest of the night.
The Broncos also gave away some points. A fair catch interference penalty allowed Cameron Dicker to hit an ultra-rare, 57-yard fair-catch kick on an untimed down to end the first half. In the second half, a defensive unnecessary roughness penalty in the red zone on a third-down Herbert scramble opened the door for Edwards to score his 5-yard touchdown on the next play.
Herbert ended the game 23-of-31 for 284 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Ladd McConkey led the team with 87 yards on six catches.
On the other side, Nix was 29-of-40 for 263 yards with two TDs.
With the win, the Chargers are now 9-6 and are in the driver’s seat for the AFC’s No. 6 seed, as the club holds the tiebreaker over the Broncos with two wins over the division rival. Los Angeles will clinch a playoff berth with a Dolphins loss or tie and Colts loss or tie this weekend.
Next week, Los Angeles will be on the road to face New England before ending the regular season against Las Vegas.
The 9-6 Broncos can still clinch a playoff berth this weekend with a Miami loss or tie, plus a Cincinnati loss or tie, plus an Indianapolis loss or tie. They will be on the road in Week 17 to play the Bengals before ending the year at home against the Chiefs.
