Denver
Broncos
3-13
15
FINAL
20
Los Angeles
Chargers
9-7
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling conclusion to the regular season, the Los Angeles Chargers narrowly defeated the Denver Broncos 20-15 in Week 18. With playoff implications hanging in the balance, the Chargers secured a crucial victory that solidified their postseason aspirations.
The Broncos were led by quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who threw for 194 yards and two touchdowns, showcasing his ability to make plays under pressure. Mike Washington Jr. contributed significantly on the ground with 86 rushing yards, while Nyziah Hunter emerged as a key target with 77 receiving yards, demonstrating the Broncos' offensive potential despite the loss.
Defensively, the Chargers' Kain Medrano anchored the unit with seven tackles, but it was Travis Hunter's two interceptions that turned the tide in favor of Los Angeles. The pivotal moment came late in the fourth quarter when Hunter picked off a critical pass from Mendoza, allowing the Chargers to maintain their lead and ultimately seal the game. Jared Smith of the Broncos also made an impact with two sacks, but it was the Chargers' defensive plays that proved decisive in this tightly contested matchup.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fernando Mendoza | QB | 43 | 25 | 58% | 194 | 2 | 2 | 65.4 |
| Demond Williams | QB | 27 | 15 | 56% | 166 | 0 | 0 | 73.9 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Washington Jr. | HB | 14 | 86 | 6.1 | 43 | 0 | 24 | 1 |
| TreVeyon Henderson | HB | 17 | 65 | 3.8 | 13 | 1 | 14 | 0 |
| Jahiem White | HB | 6 | 44 | 7.3 | 25 | 1 | 29 | 0 |
| Jacory Croskey-Merritt | HB | 4 | 13 | 3.3 | — | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Reggie Gilliam | FB | 2 | 10 | 5.0 | — | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Waymond Jordan | HB | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | — | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Fernando Mendoza | QB | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Demond Williams | QB | 4 | 3 | 0.8 | — | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Isaiah Sategna III | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brian Thomas Jr | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyle Pitts Sr | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nyziah Hunter | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nyziah Hunter | WR | 6 | 77 | 12.8 | 17 | 1 | 28 | 1 |
| Brian Thomas Jr | WR | 3 | 61 | 20.3 | 7 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Isaiah Sategna III | WR | 7 | 48 | 6.9 | 15 | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| Will Mallory | TE | 4 | 36 | 9.0 | — | 0 | 18 | 1 |
| Kyle Pitts Sr | TE | 5 | 33 | 6.6 | 15 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Tai Felton | WR | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Khalil Shakir | WR | 2 | 16 | 8.0 | — | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| TreVeyon Henderson | HB | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Devin Culp | TE | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Joshua Palmer | TE | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | — | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Jahiem White | HB | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Dorian Fleming | TE | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Mike Washington Jr. | HB | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travis Hunter | CB | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Kain Medrano | MIKE | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shavon Revel Jr | CB | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jared Smith | REDG | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Pierre | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Segun Olubi | MIKE | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Jadon Canady | SS | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Barrett | DT | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Will Heldt | DT | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Markquese Bell | FS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Thomas Harper | SS | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalon Walker | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Quinyon Mitchell | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Zaven Collins | LEDG | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nnamdi Madubuike | DT | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nick Cross | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| SirVocea Dennis | MIKE | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyrique Tucker | REDG | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Johnson | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Bud Clark | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nakobe Dean | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Anthony Smith | DT | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Davison Igbinosun | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dane Belton | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Malcolm Rodriguez | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kitan Crawford | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| JT Woods | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Niemann | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marcelino McCrary-Ball | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Wright | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DJ Johnson | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Demonte Capehart | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trey Smack | K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joey Slye | K | 2 | 2 | 2 | 56 |
| Jeremy Crawshaw | K | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |

