Game recap

Broncos @ Chargers

2026 Wk 5 · LAC 17, DEN 23

Denver trailed 17-10 after three quarters, then sacked Herbert four times and scored the last 13 points.

FanIQ Research · October 12, 2026 · 6 facts, every one from the play-by-play

The Chargers are 0 and 5 after a playoff season. The five teams since 1999 who did that before them all missed the playoffs.

Rare

Teams that started 0 and 5 the season after a playoff appearance, 1999 to 2026

Season	Team	Final record	Made playoffs
2002	Rams	7-9	No
2009	Titans	8-8	No
2011	Colts	2-14	No
2015	Lions	7-9	No
2017	Giants	3-13	No
2026	Chargers	0-5 so far	Not decided

Every 0 and 5 start, 1999 to 2025

0 and 5 starts	Made playoffs
48	0

Los Angeles played in the 2025 postseason and has now lost its first five games of 2026. The best finish among the five earlier teams in this group was the 2009 Titans at 8-8. Across all 48 teams that opened 0 and 5 from 1999 through 2025, none reached the playoffs.

Why it matters. Not one of the 48 teams that opened 0 and 5 from 1999 through 2025 reached the playoffs, so a fifth loss has been a hard line in this era. The Chargers are the sixth playoff team from the year before to fall this far, and the earlier five finished a combined 27-53. A roster good enough to make the 2025 postseason is the case for a recovery, but the five teams with the same case before them did not get back.

In the fourth quarter the Chargers ran 18 plays for 23 yards, and Herbert was sacked on four of them.

Split

Offense by quarter, pass and run plays

Team	Quarter	Plays	Yards	Sacks	EPA/play
LAC	1	12	41	1	-0.764
LAC	2	12	33	0	-0.141
LAC	3	20	140	0	0.333
LAC	4	18	23	4	-1.134
DEN	1	15	70	0	0.030
DEN	2	19	59	1	-0.243
DEN	3	6	9	0	-1.518
DEN	4	17	86	0	-0.129

Herbert's fourth quarter sacks

Clock	Down and distance	Score (LAC-DEN)	Result
14:07	3rd and 5	17-10	Nik Bonitto, -4 yards
8:06	2nd and 10	17-17	Zach Allen strip, recovered by DEN at LAC 23
4:57	2nd and 7	17-20	D.J. Jones strip, Herbert recovered
0:03	2nd and 10	17-23	Ja'Quan McMillian, -7 yards

The third quarter was the Chargers' best stretch: 20 plays, 140 yards, and two touchdowns that turned a 10-3 deficit into a 17-10 lead. The fourth quarter undid it. On 11 pass plays the Chargers netted minus 6 yards, and their offense averaged minus 1.134 EPA per play, the worst quarter either team had except Denver's six-play third.

Why it matters. A seven point lead with a full quarter left is usually enough when the offense can still move the chains. Los Angeles could not: four sacks in 18 plays meant drives kept starting over from second and long, and the 8:06 strip gave Denver the ball 23 yards from the end zone in a tied game. The pressure came from four different Denver defenders, so this was not one matchup that broke down.

Down 17-10 after three quarters, Denver scored the last 13 points, and two Chargers turnovers set up 6 of them.

Trend

Scoring plays

Quarter	Clock	Team	Play	Score (DEN-LAC)
1	6:57	DEN	J.K. Dobbins 2 yard run	7-0
2	8:21	LAC	Cameron Dicker 42 yard field goal	7-3
2	1:52	DEN	Wil Lutz 34 yard field goal	10-3
3	5:36	LAC	Justin Herbert 7 yard pass to Hayden Rucci	10-10
3	1:07	LAC	Kimani Vidal 42 yard run	10-17
4	8:56	DEN	Bo Nix 5 yard pass to Courtland Sutton	17-17
4	5:10	DEN	Wil Lutz 19 yard field goal	20-17
4	1:12	DEN	Wil Lutz 36 yard field goal	23-17

Turnovers

Quarter	Clock	Lost by	Play	Recovered at
1	8:46	LAC	Charlie Kolar fumble after a 19 yard catch	LAC 38
3	1:15	DEN	Bo Nix fumble on a scramble	DEN 42
4	8:06	LAC	Herbert strip sack by Zach Allen	LAC 23
4	3:26	LAC	Herbert interception by Brandon Jones	LAC 34 after return

Vidal's 42 yard touchdown came one snap after Tuipulotu took the ball from Nix, and it gave Los Angeles its only lead. Denver missed a 42 yard field goal early in the fourth, then tied it on Sutton's touchdown. The next two Chargers possessions ended in a strip sack at their own 24 and an interception, and Lutz turned both into field goals. Brandon Jones recovered the first quarter fumble and made the interception.

Why it matters. Denver's offense finished at minus 0.271 EPA per play, so it did not win this game by moving the ball. It won on field position the Chargers handed over: the two late field goal drives started at the LAC 23 and the LAC 34. Each team scored a touchdown right after a takeaway, which made the turnover margin of three to one the deciding number.

Herbert's 121 passing yards were the third fewest of his career. Two of his three lowest games came against Denver.

Rare

Justin Herbert's fewest passing yards, regular season games with 10 or more attempts

Season	Week	Opponent	Attempts	Pass yards	Sacks
2025	11	JAX	18	81	2
2023	14	DEN	17	96	4
2026	5	DEN	24	121	5
2024	3	PIT	18	125	2
2024	2	CAR	20	130	1
2023	9	NYJ	30	136	5

Herbert went 14 of 24 for 121 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and took 5 sacks. That sits third from the bottom across his 100 regular season games with a pass attempt. Bo Nix was not far off on the other side, 16 of 27 for 123 yards.

Why it matters. Herbert has spent most of his career as a high volume passer, so a game this short on yardage stands out. Denver shows up twice in his three lowest games, and in both he took 4 or more sacks. That points at a pass rush that shortens his drop backs rather than at coverage alone.

Herbert has thrown 7 interceptions in 5 games. His previous high for a season was 0.88 a game.

Comparison

Justin Herbert by regular season

Season	Games	INT	INT per game	Sacks	Sacks per game
2020	15	10	0.67	32	2.13
2021	17	15	0.88	31	1.82
2022	17	10	0.59	38	2.24
2023	13	7	0.54	29	2.23
2024	17	3	0.18	41	2.41
2025	16	13	0.81	54	3.38
2026	5	7	1.40	17	3.40

Herbert by game, 2026

Week	Opponent	Comp/Att	Yards	TD	INT	Sacks
1	ARI	17/27	209	1	1	3
2	LV	15/27	192	1	2	3
3	BUF	20/34	226	1	1	2
4	SEA	19/31	189	1	2	4
5	DEN	14/24	121	1	1	5

Herbert has been intercepted in all five games this season and has thrown one touchdown in each. His 1.40 interceptions a game is well above every full season he has played, and his yardage has fallen in each of the last two weeks, to 189 and then 121.

Why it matters. The sack rate did not start this year: it jumped to 3.38 a game in 2025 and has held at 3.40. What is new is the interceptions, which went from 0.18 a game in 2024 to 1.40 now. A quarterback under that much pressure is forced into faster and riskier throws, and five games is a short sample, but it is the main reason a 0 and 5 team has scored 17 or fewer points in four of those games.

Denver's second win in seven trips to SoFi Stadium put it ahead 7-6 in the series since 2020.

Milestone

Every Broncos versus Chargers meeting since 2020

Season	Week	Site	DEN	LAC	Winner
2020	8	Denver	31	30	DEN
2020	16	SoFi Stadium	16	19	LAC
2021	12	Denver	28	13	DEN
2021	17	SoFi Stadium	13	34	LAC
2022	6	SoFi Stadium	16	19	LAC
2022	18	Denver	31	28	DEN
2023	14	SoFi Stadium	24	7	DEN
2023	17	Denver	16	9	DEN
2024	6	Denver	16	23	LAC
2024	16	SoFi Stadium	27	34	LAC
2025	3	SoFi Stadium	20	23	LAC
2025	18	Denver	19	3	DEN
2026	5	SoFi Stadium	23	17	DEN

Before this game the Chargers had won five of six against Denver at SoFi, three of them by exactly 3 points. Denver has now won the last two meetings, and it has held Los Angeles to 3 and 17 points in them.

Why it matters. Home field had been worth something real in this division series: the Chargers' only loss to Denver at SoFi before Sunday was the 2023 game. Winning there in a close game, with the defense supplying the decisive plays, is the kind of result that separates two AFC West teams early in the season.

FanIQ answers any NFL stats question with receipts, on your phone.

Get FanIQ free Get it on Google Play