Brandon Staley tempted fate and it came back to bite him multiple times on Sunday afternoon.
Midway through the second quarter, Mike Williams went down after a shot in the back from Denver linebacker Alex Singleton. He was helped off the pitch by coaches and was seen being carried into the locker room at half-time. Shortly before that, Joey Bosa was seen calling coaches after narrowly sucking Russell Wilson.
At the end of the match, three starters left the field early for the Chargers. Despite this fact, Brandon Staley still opted to play the majority of his starters in the third quarter before finally pulling them out early in the fourth.
In a game that meant nothing to their playoff standings, it seemed like a disservice to the fan base to risk the health of their star players on the road just before heading to Jacksonville next week.
The Chargers ultimately fell 31-28 to the Broncos and finished the regular season 10-7. Somehow, this team finished with an improved record from a year ago despite a long list of injuries along the way.
But for now, it’s on to the playoffs.
For a full quarter-by-quarter recap of tonight’s game, check it all out below.
first quarter
The Broncos won the toss and elected to postpone. The Chargers offense was the first.
Justin Herbert was surgical on the first practice completing four of his five pass attempts for 58 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown to Keenan Allen who took advantage of blown coverage by the Denver defense. The Bolts took a 7-0 lead with 11:17 left in the first period.
The Broncos responded with their own touchdown practice, aided by a very tough call to Ja’Sir Taylor. Russell Wilson guided his team for 75 yards in 13 plays before Latavius Murray hit him from two yards out. Joey Bosa was also called for offside in his own red zone.
The Chargers couldn’t respond on their second offensive drive as they went three times before JK Scott threw a bomb inside the Broncos 15-yard line. On the other side, Denver would also score a three-and-out of their own.
Mike Williams picked up 18 yards on a third-and-11 and time passed with the Chargers driving inside Broncos territory.
second quarter
Eight plays into the second quarter, Herbert was able to connect with Gerald Everett for his second touchdown in as many games to put the Bolts back on top 14-7 after a 12-play, 53-yard drive that took nearly six minutes on the l ‘clock.
The Chargers defense went from strength to strength again to force another three and out by the Broncos. Russell Wilson slipped out of the pocket and Joey Bosa was able to touch him for his first sack since returning from injured reserve.
A rare mistake by Ekeler occurred on the ensuing practice as the Chargers’ RB1 was stripped of midfielder linebacker Joey Jewell and picked up by the Broncos.
Despite the momentum swinging heavily in their path, the Broncos could only muster one field goal to help cut the deficit to four.
At the Chargers’ next practice, Mike Williams was helped off the field after being tackled by a gang on a five-yard gain. The Bolts would punt soon after, but the Broncos couldn’t muster a first down either and returned it right away for Herbert and Co.
Leading 14-10, the Chargers took to the field in time to score a field goal from 48 yards and cut their lead to seven.
But somehow, the Broncos were able to go for 75 yards in just three plays thanks to massive coverage blown by the second. Wilson hit Eric Tomlinson from three yards out to level the game just before halftime.
Third quarter
The Broncos started the second half walking down the field to score a touchdown that put them up 24-17 early in the third. Running back Tyler Badie earned his first NFL touchdown for 24 yards after the defense completely ignored him coming out of the backfield.
Herbert stayed in the game, walking out with most of the offensive starters to start the half. They rushed for 17 yards in four plays before returning to Denver.
Wilson hit Jerry Jeudy for a 50-yard gain — his second 50+ yard reception of the day — to put them just past midfield. A few plays later, a Wilson pass attempt was beaten by Kyle Van Noy before falling into the arms of Sebastian Joseph-Day for his first career interception.
Just before the quarter ended, Herbert found DeAndre Carter for a big win on Broncos territory, but Denver safety Justin Simmons dropped the ball and it was immediately picked up by fellow safety Kareem Jackson.
Fourth trimester
Chase Daniel finally entered the game for the Chargers’ first offensive drive in the fourth quarter. The Broncos led 31-20 after Wilson found a wide-open Courtland Sutton in the end zone to start the quarter.
After a three-and-out, the Chargers came back to Denver but the returner missed the punt and Alohi Gilman was able to pounce on it to regain possession of Denver’s 29-yard line.
Daniel found Allen for the Slayer’s second touchdown of the night to push the score under five. The Chargers opted to go for two with Daniel hitting Joshua Palmer in the back of the end zone to make it 31-28 with just over six minutes left in regulation time.
After the defense forced yet another three and out by Denver, the offense hurt with a false start penalty on second-and-10, then a near-interception on third-and-nine, but put end to the backups’ hopes for a win in the season finale.
The Broncos ran out the remaining time and the Chargers lost 31-28 in the regular season finale.
Justin Herbert finished with 273 passing yards and two touchdowns on 25 of 37 passes.
Austin Ekeler had 34 rushing yards and 36 receiving yards.
Keenan Allen caught eight passes for 102 yards with a pair of touchdowns.
Drue Tranquill and Derwin James each lead the defense with six total tackles. Joey Bosa and Kyle Van Noy each had a sack while Sebastian Joseph-Day picked Russell Wilson for his first professional interception.
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