Los Angeles
Chargers
11-6
59
FINAL
43
Denver
Broncos
11-6
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Wildcard Round showdown, the Los Angeles Chargers topped the Denver Broncos 59-43, securing their spot in the next round of the playoffs. The high-stakes matchup saw both teams fighting for survival, but it was the Chargers who unleashed a potent offensive barrage to come out on top.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was nothing short of spectacular, throwing for 342 yards and an impressive six touchdown passes, showcasing his elite talent on the big stage. Keaton Mitchell added a solid ground game with 65 rushing yards, while Jaylen Waddle of the Broncos dazzled with 196 receiving yards, but it was Herbert's precision that ultimately made the difference in this high-scoring affair.
Defensively, the Chargers made their mark with a relentless pass rush led by Akheem Mesidor, who recorded 3.5 sacks to disrupt the Broncos' offense. Tarheeb Still also made a significant impact, grabbing two interceptions that helped shift the momentum in favor of Los Angeles. The turning point came in the second half when the Chargers capitalized on a key turnover, paving the way for their explosive offensive outburst that sealed the game.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Herbert | QB | 26 | 22 | 85% | 342 | 6 | 1 | 142.3 |
| Bo Nix | QB | 27 | 14 | 52% | 337 | 4 | 4 | 97.2 |
| Brenen Thompson | WR | 0 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Ladd McConkey | WR | 0 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keaton Mitchell | HB | 13 | 65 | 5.0 | 16 | 1 | 13 | 0 |
| Omarion Hampton | HB | 19 | 64 | 3.4 | 27 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| RJ Harvey | HB | 1 | 43 | 43.0 | — | 1 | 43 | 0 |
| Jonah Coleman | HB | 9 | 26 | 2.9 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Alec Ingold | FB | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Kimani Vidal | HB | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | — | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Brenen Thompson | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Quentin Johnston | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Herbert | QB | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Courtland Sutton | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| David Njoku | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaylen Waddle | WR | 8 | 196 | 24.5 | 41 | 3 | 52 | 0 |
| Quentin Johnston | WR | 5 | 117 | 23.4 | 20 | 1 | 38 | 0 |
| Brenen Thompson | WR | 7 | 80 | 11.4 | 26 | 2 | 46 | 0 |
| David Njoku | TE | 6 | 79 | 13.2 | 28 | 2 | 23 | 0 |
| Courtland Sutton | WR | 1 | 72 | 72.0 | 47 | 1 | 72 | 0 |
| Ladd McConkey | WR | 3 | 45 | 15.0 | 32 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| Jonah Coleman | HB | 1 | 21 | 21.0 | 18 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| Oronde Gadsden | TE | 1 | 21 | 21.0 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 0 |
| Evan Engram | TE | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Troy Franklin | WR | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Dallen Bentley | TE | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 9 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| RJ Harvey | HB | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akheem Mesidor | REDG | 4 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tarheeb Still | CB | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Justin Strnad | WILL | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyler Onyedim | DT | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Patrick Surtain II | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Korie Black | CB | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Donte Jackson | CB | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Talanoa Hufanga | SS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daiyan Henley | WILL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| JL Skinner | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jahdae Barron | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Elijah Molden | FS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Alex Singleton | MIKE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Riley Moss | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Denzel Perryman | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Que Robinson | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyree Wilson | LEDG | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zach Allen | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Teair Tart | DT | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derwin James Jr | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ja'Quan McMillian | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonathon Cooper | LEDG | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wil Lutz | K | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Cameron Dicker | K | 1 | 1 | 8 | 47 |

