• 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.
• Unlock your edge with a PFF+ subscription: Get full access to all our in-season fantasy tools, including weekly rankings, WR/CB matchup charts, weekly projections, the Start-Sit Optimizer and more. Sign up now!
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.