Los Angeles Chargers vs Denver Broncos: How to Watch, Odds and Game Preview (October 11)

The Los Angeles Chargers have spent the first month of the season looking much worse in the standings than they do on paper, and Sunday’s AFC West matchup against Denver feels like their best opportunity yet to change that. Los Angeles enters Week 5 at 0-4 despite having Justin Herbert and one of the more talented rosters in the league, while the Broncos are 2-2 but have struggled to consistently generate offense. With the Chargers back home at SoFi Stadium, this feels like a legitimate opportunity to finally break through and earn their first win of the season.

There is no way around how disappointing the first four weeks have been for the Chargers. This was a team with legitimate expectations entering the season, and an 0-4 record puts Los Angeles in an extremely difficult position before the schedule even reaches the midway point. Still, the record does not suddenly erase the talent on this roster, and having Herbert at quarterback gives the Chargers a chance to win essentially every week.

That is especially true against this Denver team. The Broncos are 2-2 and rightfully enter as favorites based on what the two teams have accomplished so far, but their offense has not exactly been overwhelming. This could be the type of matchup Los Angeles needs defensively after struggling through the opening month. If the Chargers can create pressure, force Denver into obvious passing situations and finally generate a few game-changing plays, there is an opportunity for the defense to regain some confidence.

The challenge is that Los Angeles enters this matchup shorthanded. Joe Alt, Rashawn Slater, Derwin James and Quentin Johnston are among the significant players unavailable, while Ladd McConkey is questionable. That is a considerable amount of talent missing on both sides of the ball, particularly for an offensive line tasked with keeping Herbert comfortable against a tough Denver defense.

Herbert is ultimately the reason to still believe. Even when the offense around him is not operating perfectly, he is capable of creating plays that most quarterbacks simply cannot. If Los Angeles can protect him well enough to push the ball downfield and avoid putting the offense in constant third-and-long situations, the Chargers should be able to produce enough points to make this a four-quarter game.

Denver’s offensive struggles also make this feel like a relatively low-scoring matchup, which favors an underdog trying to keep the game close. The Chargers do not need to suddenly look like one of the best teams in football. They simply need to clean up the mistakes that have contributed to the 0-4 start and give Herbert an opportunity to win the game late.

This feels like the week Los Angeles finally gets it done. The Broncos have been the better team through four games, but the Chargers are more talented than their record suggests and are desperate for something positive to build on. In a division matchup at home, taking Los Angeles to cover and win outright makes sense.

Following this contest, the Chargers will head to Kansas City for a Week 6 matchup against the Chiefs. With another difficult AFC West game waiting, getting the first win of the season against Denver would provide a much-needed boost before Los Angeles faces an even tougher test on the road.