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
