The Chargers (4-2) win third straight game to sit atop the AFC West, tied with the Chiefs; the Broncos (2-4) fail to score more than 16 points in a game for fifth time this season; watch Thursday Night Football – Saints @ Cardinals – live on Sky Sports NFL, 1.20am, Friday
Last Updated: 18/10/22 6:49am
Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson is sacked during their overtime defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers
Dustin Hopkins kicked four field goals, including a 39-yarder with two and a half minutes remaining in overtime, as the Los Angeles Chargers piled on the misery for Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos with a 19-16 victory on Monday night.
Story of the Game
Hopkins, who had injured his hamstring during the first half, grimaced as he kicked the ball and fell to the ground before being picked up by his team-mates.
The game had appeared to be headed toward a tie until Denver’s Montrell Washington muffed JK Scott’s punt at the Broncos 32-yard line, with Deane Leonard recovering the ball for the Chargers at the 28-yard line.
The Chargers have won three straight to improve to 4-2 on the year, seeing them tied with the Kansas City Chiefs atop the AFC West. Denver’s season, meanwhile, continues to implode with a third consecutive defeat dropping them to 2-4.
The Broncos’ struggles on offense, in particular, continued; Denver have failed to score more than 16 points in a game on five occasions this season, the only exception being a 32-23 defeat to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week Four.
Wilson completed 15 of his 28 pass attempts for 188 yards and a touchdown. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert went 37 of 57 for 238 yards and an interception – snapping his 26-game streak of throwing at least one TD.
Denver had jumped out to a 10-0 first-quarter lead courtesy of two scoring drives to start the game. Brandon McManus kicked a 51-yard field goal to kick things off, then Wilson found a wide-open Greg Dulcich for a 39-yard touchdown.
The Chargers answered on their ensuing possession, putting together a 15-play, 82-yard drive that was capped by an Austin Ekeler six-yard score. Los Angeles tied the game at 10 apiece thanks to Hopkins’ first field goal, with 53 seconds remaining in the half, before a further McManus kick nudged the Broncos nudged in front at the break.
The Chargers again tied things up courtesy of Hopkins’ boot on their first drive of the third quarter and the teams traded field goals in the fourth quarter. McManus was good from 48 yards after Baron Browning picked off Herbert. The Chargers answered with Hopkins making it from 35.
It was left to the Chargers kicker to deliver the decisive blow late in overtime.
The two teams combined for 19 penalties and a season-high 240 yards in a sloppy contest. The Broncos were flagged 10 times for 151 yards, the 24th time since 2000 a team has drawn more than 150 penalty yards, according to TruMedia.
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