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The Los Angeles Chargers rebounded from their disappointing Week 16 loss to to the Houston Texans by defeating the division rival Denver Broncos 34-13.
The Chargers pushed themselves back into playoff position with the win, and now control their own destiny heading into the final game of the regular season. L.A. got off to a fast start and at one point led by as many as 28 points, and pretty much ran away with the game.
Justin Herbert finished the afternoon with 237 passing yards and two touchdowns, while Austin Ekeler totaled 112 yards and two scores on his 20 touches. The Los Angeles defense held Denver's running backs to a combined 73 yards on 24 carries -- turning an area that is typically a weakness into a strength for at least one week.
That, combined with timely turnovers both on downs and via fumble, led the Chargers to a blowout victory that put them in position to clinch a playoff spot next week.
Why the Chargers won
Austin Ekeler making terrific individual effort play, and special teams dominance. Andre Roberts got things started by returning the opening kickoff 67 yards into Broncos territory. That led to L.A.'s first touchdown of the game, which was an Ekeler plunge from 3 yards out. Roberts later responded to a Broncos field goal by returning the ensuing kickoff 101 yards for a score, extending the Chargers' lead to three touchdowns. Ekeler had a few terrific catch-and-run plays, including a 40-yarder on which he showed outstanding balance to keep his knee of the ground and gain a bunch more yardage.
Why the Broncos lost
Not only did the Broncos have the two aforementioned special-teams issues, they also had a muffed punt late in the second quarter, which led to the Chargers' second touchdown drive. The Broncos themselves squandered several chances to score. They turned the ball over on downs three different times, including once inside the 5-yard line. (They tried a Philly Special-esque play that got blown up by Nasir Adderley.) They also had a touchdown wiped off the board by an illegal formation penalty, and ended up having to settle for a field goal instead. Plus, the run game that is supposed to be a team strength was instead a liability throughout the contest, as neither Melvin Gordon nor Javonte Williams could ever really get untracked.
Turning point
There were actually quite a few turning points in this game. We can start with the opening kickoff, which Roberts returned 67 yards and got the Chargers off to an excellent start. We can also go with the Broncos' first failed fourth-down conversion, though L.A. did not capitalize on that one. There's the muffed punt, the failed Denver Special near the goal line, the third failed fourth-down conversion, the penalty that nullified a touchdown run, the 101-yard kickoff return touchdown, the huge pass to Mike Williams to make it a four-score game. The Chargers made a lot of big plays, and they all helped put the game out of reach.
Highlight play
Let's go with two plays. Why not, right? The game was a blowout, after all. First, here's the 40-yard Ekeler catch-and-run that we mentioned up top. The contact-balance necessary to keep his knee off the ground after the initial hit is high-level stuff.
If that play doesn't float your boat, take a gander at the 101-yard return by Roberts, which essentially put the game out of reach for good.
That's untouched through the first couple levels of the coverage team, then one cut to hit the jets and burst past everybody including the kicker and all the way to the end zone. That's a game-changing special teams play.
What's next
The victory improves the Chargers' record to 9-7 with one week left in the regular season. They have not officially clinched a playoff spot, but they can do just that by defeating the Las Vegas Raiders next week. With the Chiefs having already wrapped up the AFC West, the Chargers will make the postseason as a wild card team or not at all.
The loss drops the Broncos to 7-9 on the year, and they're officially eliminated from playoff contention. Their Week 18 opponent is the Chiefs, and the Broncos have a chance to put a dent in their rival's hopes of securing a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
