Broncos Rise Up In Fourth Quarter For 23-17 Win Over Chargers

The Denver Broncos played more ugly offensive football on Sunday, but they rose up late got a get win they had to have with a 23-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. 

Neither team played like they wanted this game all that much early, and the transition to Sean Payton calling the plays didn’t make a huge difference for Denver, either.

But the Broncos were opportunistic both early and late, and they took advantage of a first quarter fumble by tight end Charlie Kolar with a recovery and a 40-yard drive that featured a 34-yard pass from quarterback Box Nix to tight end Evan Engram, with running back J.K. Dobbins taking it in on the ground from two yards out. 

The two teams swapped field goals after that, with the Chargers getting theirs first to knock the lead down to 7-3. The Broncos countered with a 60-yard drive that led to a 34-yard field goal from kicker Wil Lutz to make it 10-3 at the half. 

But the Chargers slowly took control of the game in the third quarter with a pair of touchdowns to take a 17-10 lead. The first came on LA’s most impressive play of the drive, as Herbert complemented his short passing game with a 23-yard run of his own, and he hit Hayden Rucci wide open in the end zone from nine yards out to tie the game. 

The second TD came after a disastrous fumble by Nix, who continues to revisit his ball security issues from his rookie year, and Kimani Vidal immediately turned the drive into a 41-yard touchdown drive to give the Chargers a surprising 17-10 lead. 

But Denver took control of the game back in the fourth quarter, and it was an ill-advised gamble on fourth down by LA coach Jim Harbaugh that gave the Broncos a short field. The running game finally started working a little, and Nix fired a dart to receiver Courtland Sutton in the middle of the end zone to tie the game at 17-17. 

More Chargers generosity helped Denver take the lead, as a fumble recovery after a sack led to a chip shot kick by Lutz from 19 yards out to make it 20-17. Herbert one-upped his generosity by throwing a pick straight into the arms of safety Brandon Jones, and Lutz nailed a 36-yarder to put the game away, as the Broncos closed out the final drive with a sack from Ja’Quan MacMillian that prevented Herbert from getting off a Hail Mary throw.