Russell Wilson was 13-for-24 passing for 283 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, Latavius Murray rushed for 103 yards and a score and the host Denver Broncos beat the Los Angeles Chargers 31-28 on Sunday.
Courtland Sutton, Eric Tomlinson and Tyler Badie had TD catches and Jerry Jeudy had five receptions for 154 yards for the Broncos (5-12), who ended a nine-game losing streak within the AFC West Division.
Justin Herbert was 25-for-37 passing for 273 yards and two touchdowns, and Keenan Allen had eight receptions for 102 yards and two scores. Gerald Everett also had a TD catch, and Austin Ekeler had four receptions to set a Chargers single-season record with 107.
Chase Daniel had a TD pass and two-point conversion in relief of Herbert. Los Angeles receiver Mike Williams (back) and defensive end Joey Bosa (undisclosed) left in the first half with injuries.
The teams honored Buffalo’s Damar Hamlin before the game while the Bills safety continues his recovery after going into cardiac arrest at Cincinnati on Monday.
The Chargers (10-7) were locked into the No. 5 seed and a matchup at Jacksonville in the wild-card round next week before the start of the game.
They took a 7-0 lead when Herbert connected with Allen on a 14-yard TD pass early in the first quarter. Denver answered with Murray’s 2-yard touchdown run to tie it.
Herbert’s TD pass to Everett from 3 yards out gave Los Angeles a 14-7 lead with 10:57 left in the first half.
The teams traded field goals before the Broncos had the ball at their 25-yard line with 26 seconds left in the first half. Wilson hit Jeudy with a 57-yard pass to reach the Chargers 3, and then tied the game with a touchdown pass to Tomlinson.
Denver opened the second half with a six-play, 75-yard drive capped by a 24-yard TD pass to Badie, who was making his NFL debut, to make it 24-17.
Los Angeles turned a Wilson interception into a 36-yard field goal, but Wilson’s 20-yard TD pass to Sutton with 11:15 left to play made it 31-20.
A muffed punt led to Daniels’ 3-yard TD pass to Allen followed by a successful two-point conversion pass to Joshua Palmer with 6:02 left.
–Field Level Media
