Week 16 Thursday Night Football Statistical Review: Chargers surge toward clinching playoffs with win over Broncos

2YY7HME Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, left, hugs place kicker Cameron Dicker (11) after a win over the Denver Broncos in an NFL football game Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

• The first successful fair-catch kick since 1976: Cameron Dicker hit on the try — an oft-forgotten part of the NFL rulebook — just before halftime to close the Chargers' deficit.

• The Chargers move closer to clinching a playoff spot: Los Angeles now holds the No. 6 seed in the playoff race with two weeks to go.

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Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes


The Los Angeles Chargers took a huge step toward the playoffs and took the No. 6 seed away from the Denver Broncos by beating them 34-27 on Thursday Night Football in Week 16.


Game Summary

According to PFF's noise-canceled score metric, the Chargers were the slightly better team in a game dominated by the offenses. Especially on early downs, the Chargers distanced themselves from the Broncos with a higher success rate and more explosive plays.


Passing Summary

Despite going into the game with concerns about his ankle, Justin Herbert added a lot of value via scrambles. The Broncos couldn’t get to the quarterback as much as they would’ve wished against a Chargers pass protection that gave up many sacks over the past three games.


Receiving Summary


Rushing Summary

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