DENVER (5-9) at LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (5-9)
Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS
OPENING LINE – Chargers by 2 1/2
RECORD VS. SPREAD – Broncos 8-6; Chargers 7-7
SERIES RECORD – Broncos lead 69-52-1
LAST MEETING – Broncos beat Chargers, 31-30, Nov. 1 at Denver
LAST WEEK – Broncos lost to Bills 48-19; Chargers beat Raiders 30-27, OT
AP PRO32 RANKING – Broncos No. 22 (tied), Chargers No. 20
BRONCOS OFFENSE – OVERALL (28), RUSH (13), PASS (28).
BRONCOS DEFENSE – OVERALL (21), RUSH (28), PASS (10T).
CHARGERS OFFENSE – OVERALL (7), RUSH (18), PASS (5).
CHARGERS DEFENSE – OVERALL (10), RUSH (22), PASS (7).
STREAKS, STATS, AND NOTES – Denver has won three straight and four of the last five in the series. … Denver has swept the season 18 times, the most for the team against an opponent. … Last week’s loss assured the Broncos of their fourth straight losing season. … Broncos’ rookies have logged 4,194 total snaps, which is the fifth-most in the league, with three players – C Lloyd Cushenberry, WR Jerry Jeudy, and CB Michael Ojemudia – starting at least nine games. … The Broncos have scored touchdowns on all seven of their trips into their opponents’ red zone in the last three weeks. … QB Drew Lock is 8-8 in his career with 21 TDs and 16 interceptions. This season he has thrown 13 interceptions and lost three fumbles. … K Brandon McManus returns from a one-week stint on the COVID-19 reserve list as a close contact. His replacement, 31-year-old rookie Taylor Russolino, missed three of four kicks and had a short second-half kickoff that sparked Bills’ big second half last week. … RB Melvin Gordon has rushed for eight TDs and caught a TD pass in his first season in Denver after five seasons with the Chargers. … Gordon had six catches in the first matchup with his former team. … RB Phillip Lindsay will miss the game due to shin and knee injuries. His only TD run this season came against the Chargers on Oct. 1 when he reeled off a 55-yarder to spark Denver’s 31-30 comeback from a 21-point second-half deficit. … TE Noah Fant is coming off a career-best eight-catch performance. Fant had seven receptions in the Broncos’ Week 8 game against the Chargers. … OLB Bradley Chubb is fourth in the NFL with 60 quarterback knockdowns and hurries, earning his first Pro Bowl berth. … OLB Jeremiah Attaochu is aiming for his fourth consecutive game with a sack. … S Kareem Jackson had a career-high 12 tackles in the teams’ first meeting. … QB Justin Herbert has 27 touchdown passes, tied with Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield for the most by a rookie in NFL history. Herbert’s 290.8 passing yards per game are third in the AFC. He needs 219 yards to become the fourth rookie to top 4,000 passing yards. … RB Austin Ekeler is averaging 105.5 scrimmage yards per game since returning from a hamstring injury four weeks ago. He is averaging 58.2 scrimmage yards in six games vs. Denver. … WR Keenan Allen is third in the league with 100 receptions en route to his fourth straight Pro Bowl selection. … WR Tyron Johnson leads the NFL with four receptions of 50-plus yards. His 22.5-yards receiving average is best in the league among players with at least 15 catches. … Hunter Henry, third in the AFC among receptions for tight ends with 60, was placed on the COVID-19 list on Thursday. … The Chargers’ defense has forced a three-and-out on 21.55% of their possessions, which is the fourth-highest percentage in the league. … DE Joey Bosa, who received his third Pro Bowl bid earlier in the week, is out due to a concussion. … CB Chris Harris Jr., who played nine seasons for Denver, faces his former team for the first time. He had his first interception with the Chargers last week. … Fantasy tip: Chargers WR Mike Williams has 10 receptions for 216 yards and a touchdown in the past two games against the Broncos.
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