Denver Broncos (3-3) – Los Angeles Chargers (3-2): 16-23
The Chargers came to Denver to fight, they saw and they won. Dominating the match for three quarters, they did enough not to be surprised by the burst of pride of the Broncos in the last quarter. This victory allows Los Angeles to regain second place in the division ahead of their evening opponents.
After three consecutive victories, the landing was painful for the Denver Broncos. The very good fourth quarter should not make us forget that 3/4 of the match is to be thrown away. We will have to capitalize on this good end to the match, while a trip to New Orleans is looming this Thursday.
You miss a Pat Surtain, and everything is depopulated
Under the Denver sun, the teams suffered a massacre from the first two drives. The Chargers lose Quentin Johnston (WR), Ladd McConkey (WR), Hayden Hurst (TE) and… Jim Harbaugh (HC, cardiac arrhythmia). The locals are less affected in quantity, but much more in quality, since they lose Pat Surtain II (CB) to concussion on his first action. An absence that hurts, while the Californians are doing much better in the game. They intercept Bo Nix (19/33, 216 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 6 races, 61 yards) on his first pass, then score points on the next two possessions. First by a field goal from Cameron Dicker. Then by Kimani Vidal's first NFL touchdown (4 races, 11 yards, 2 receptions, 40 yards, 1 TD) on a 38-yard reception.
The rest of the half is of the same ilk and comes down to a demonstration by Los Angeles. To the interception at the start of the game, the defense added a covered fumble in the second quarter. The squad will only allow 60 yards and 3 first downs to Denver during the half. For its part, the attack unfolds: Runs, passes, screens… Greg Roman's entire repertoire is there, and the ball advances efficiently. The Chargers manage the clock (21 minutes and 13 seconds of possession), and Dicker adds a second field goal before JK Dobbins scores the second touchdown of the game. Los Angeles returns to the locker room with 247 yards gained and a solid 8/9 on third attempt. They have a comfortable 20-point lead at the break (20-0).
The Broncos come back strong but the Chargers manage
The second half continues on the same basis as the first. Justin Herbert (21/34, 237 yards, 1 TD) takes advantage of Surtain's absence to distribute, and JK Dobbins (25 races, 96 yards, 1 TD) continues to advance the ball on the ground. Nothing flamboyant, but nevertheless enough to quickly add a new field goal via Cameron Dicker (3/3 FG). Then the Chargers end up decreasing in intensity, and the Broncos take the opportunity to sound a revolt. At the end of a well-executed drive, Bo Nix found Troy Franklin in the end zone for his first NFL touchdown. A few minutes later, they came back with a magnificent one-handed reception from Sutton in the in-goal. Enough to dream of an unexpected return. They also recovered the ball four minutes from time and took the opportunity to put Will Lutz within field goal distance to further reduce the gap (16-23) with one minute remaining. They then try the last chance onside kick… Which ends in touch. Unfortunately, the awakening was too late for Denver.
