Chargers lose to Broncos, will play Patriots in

DENVER — The sport was the understudies versus the underwhelmings.

The second-string Chargers against the … wait a second, the top-seeded Denver Broncos only generated 240 yards and failed to rating an offensive landing?

Such is the AFC this season, stuffed with groups who flash one week and fizzle the next.

Sunday’s regular-season finale — which the Broncos gained, 19-3 — was far more aggressive than it ought to have been, particularly contemplating the lopsided incentives.

Whereas the Chargers have been enjoying for satisfaction and only modestly consequential postseason seeding, Denver’s stakes have been two miles high: a free go to the second spherical, and home-field benefit until the Super Bowl.

How unsettling that the Chargers might even make the sport attention-grabbing, having rested 14 starters, including Pro Bowl quarterback Justin Herbert.

The Chargers now flip their consideration to a first-round sport at the 14-win New England Patriots, who have averaged 34.4 factors in the 5 video games since the start of December, on Sunday at 5 p.m. PST.

It’s another alternative for Herbert to notch his first playoff victory. In his six seasons, the Chargers have had two one-and-done appearances — an epic collapse at Jacksonville in the 2022 season and a four-interception loss at Houston last season.

“With the way he’s played this season, this could be a breakthrough,” receiver Keenan Allen said. “Everything we want is still right in front of us.”

That’s not precisely true. Allen reeled in two hefty objects on his want record. He needed 9 more receiving yards for a $250,000 contract bonus, and six more receptions for a $750,000 payout. He completed with seven catches for 36 yards — jackpot!

“It’s nice to get that out of the way,” he said, smiling broadly.

Allen was one of the few seasoned Chargers veterans to set foot on the sector. Watching from the sidelines have been offensive starters Herbert, Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston and your complete beginning offensive line.

So backup quarterback Trey Lance, making a uncommon start, had a assortment of blockers that was even more hodgepodge than standard — and going up against the NFL’s sack leaders, no less. The Broncos got here into the sport with a club-record 64 sacks.

They received to Lance 4 occasions, and although that is perhaps spectacular, the Chargers collected 4 sacks of their own, two by backup defensive lineman Otito Ogbonnia.

“That was dope,” star edge rusher Khalil Mack said of the efficiency by second-stringers.

Mack sat out, as did All-Pro security Derwin James Jr., linebacker Daiyan Henley and security Elijah Molden. All will be back for the Patriots sport.

The Chargers have crushed the Patriots in their last two conferences, including a 6-0 win two years in the past in Foxborough. This is the first time the groups have performed with these head coaches, Jim Harbaugh and Mike Vrabel.

“That’s the kind of game that defines your season,” Harbaugh said. “Our focus and attention is on that.”

Sunday’s sport was a foregone conclusion before kickoff. Yes, the Chargers have been 5-0 against AFC West opponents, but their main intention was to keep recent for the playoffs.

The Broncos, meanwhile, have been so laser-focused on securing that No. 1 seed that coach Sean Payton instructed the videoboard operators to scrap the goofy video games during breaks in the motion. He wished the group pondering about decibels, not distractions.

Denver operating back RJ Harvey is tackled by Chargers defenders during the second half Sunday.

(C. Morgan Engel / Getty Images)

From the start, Denver appeared on monitor. On their first possession, the Broncos drove from their 13 to the Chargers’ six, setting up the first of 4 discipline objectives by Wil Lutz.

Who would have suspected that, after those 81 yards, Denver’s offense would generate only 31 more the remaining of the half?

Put merely, Denver is a bizarre workforce. The Broncos have trailed in 12 of their 14 wins, and this was the second time this season they gained without scoring an offensive landing. Naturally, there have been incentives Sunday to staying as vanilla as doable on offense as not to reveal more to future opponents, although this is a workforce that already has put 17 video games on video.

This sport was either an offensive stinker or a defensive masterpiece, relying on your perspective.

Both quarterbacks led their workforce in speeding. Lance accomplished 20 of 44 passes for 136 yards with an interception. Denver’s Bo Nix was 14 of 23 for 141 yards.