National Football League
L.A. Chargers 34, Denver 27
When: 8:15 PM ET, Thursday, December 19, 2024
Where: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
Temperature: 64°
Head Official: Clay Martin
Attendance: 70240

Justin Herbert passed for 284 yards and two touchdowns, Gus Edwards ran for two scores and the Los Angeles Chargers closed in on a playoff spot by rallying for a 34-27 victory over the Denver Broncos on Thursday in Inglewood, Calif.

Ladd McConkey had six receptions for 87 yards and Cameron Dicker made two field goals, including a rare fair-catch free-kick boot to end the first half as the Chargers (9-6) ended a two-game losing streak.

Los Angeles can clinch a postseason spot Sunday if both the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts lose or tie.

Bo Nix had 263 yards passing and two TDs for the Broncos (9-6), who saw their four-game winning streak come to an end. Audric Estime had 48 yards rushing and a touchdown for Denver, which would have clinched the franchise's first playoff berth since 2015 with a victory.

Nix orchestrated consecutive touchdown drives of 72, 70 and 70 yards to open the game and give the Broncos a 21-10 lead. Two of the TDs came on Nix passes to Michael Burton (1 yard) and Devaughn Vele (6 yards).

The Chargers appeared to build momentum on a rare play to end the first half. An untimed free-kick field goal by Dicker from 57 yards pulled Los Angeles within 21-13. The kick was earned after a fair catch from Derius Davis and a 15-yard fair-catch interference penalty.

It was the first successful kick of its kind in the NFL since 1976.

After the Broncos took a 24-13 lead with 8:31 remaining in the third quarter, the Chargers' defense took over, allowing the Los Angeles offense to flourish.

A 5-yard TD run from Edwards with 2:58 remaining in the third quarter got the Chargers within 24-19 after the two-point conversion attempt failed. Davis caught a 19-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter, and Joshua Palmer caught a two-point conversion pass as Los Angeles took its first lead of the game at 27-24.

The Chargers took a 34-24 lead when Hassan Haskins capped a six-play, 90-yard drive with a 34-yard TD reception off a shovel pass from Herbert with 2:27 left.

Denver got a 55-yard field goal from Wil Lutz with under a minute remaining but failed to recover the ensuing onside kick.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
Rushing
Denver   L.A. Chargers
Audric Estime Player Gus Edwards
9 Attempts 14
48 Yards 68
5.3 Avg Yards 4.9
1 Touchdowns 2
9 Long 43
Receiving
Denver   L.A. Chargers
Marvin Mims Jr. Player Ladd McConkey
3 Receptions 6
62 Yards 87
20.7 Avg Yards 14.5
0 Touchdowns 0
53 Long 27
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Denver 355 110 245 3 2 1 2.0 1
L.A. Chargers 380 117 263 4 2 0 2.0 0
Upcoming Games
  • L.A. Chargers will play their next game on the road against New England. The Chargers have a W/L % of .556 after a win and .667 after a loss.
  • Denver will play their next game on the road against Cincinnati. The Broncos have a W/L % of .600 after a win and .600 after a loss.