Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Donte Jackson (26) celebrates after making an interception against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second half of an NFL football game, Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
September 18, 2025 - 6:04 PM
Denver (1-1) at Los Angeles Chargers (2-0)
Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EDT, CBS.
BetMGM NFL odds: Chargers by 3.
Against the spread: Broncos 0-2; Chargers 2-0.
Series record: Broncos lead 73-57-1.
Last meeting: Chargers beat Broncos 34-27 on Dec. 19, 2024, in Inglewood, California.
Last week: Broncos lost to Colts 29-28; Chargers beat Raiders 20-9.
Broncos offense: overall (17t), rush (10), pass (25), scoring (9t).
Broncos defense: overall (12), rush (20), pass (9), scoring (14t).
Chargers offense: overall (9), rush (25), pass (4), scoring (11t).
Chargers defense: overall (7), rush (8), pass (16), scoring (3).
Turnover differential: Broncos minus-3; Chargers plus-2.
Broncos player to watch
RB J.K. Dobbins. When healthy, Dobbins has been a handful to stop. Since he entered the league in 2020, Dobbins has carried the ball 459 times for 2,391 yards. His 5.21 yards rushing average is second in the league over that span, trailing only Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs (5.45) among backs with 400 carries. Dobbins has quickly found his rhythm in Denver, carrying the ball 30 times for 139 yards and two touchdowns. He spent an injury-filled season with the Chargers a year ago.
Chargers players to watch
Receivers Keenan Allen, Quentin Johnston and Ladd McConkey combined for 13 catches, 180 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Las Vegas on Monday. The Chargers are the only team with three wide receivers ranked in the top 25 in yards.
Key matchup
Chargers QB Justin Herbert vs Broncos QB Bo Nix. As good as Herbert has been with his arm and his feet, Nix has struggled controlling the ball. He's got three interceptions and a fumble. The Chargers picked off Las Vegas QB Geno Smith three times in a win on Monday. Denver's passing offense is 25th in the league, averaging 186.0 yards per game.
Key injuries
Broncos: Linebacker Dre Greenlaw has yet to make his Broncos debut because of a quadriceps injury. He didn’t practice Wednesday. TE Evan Engram (back), LB Justin Strnad (foot) also didn’t practice. ... Safety Talanoa Hufanga (chest) was limited.
Chargers: LB Khalil Mack (shoulder) went on IR after getting hurt against the Raiders and will miss at least the next four games. ... WR Ladd McConkey (biceps), CB Tarheeb Still (knee/shoulder) and DL Justin Eboigbe (foot) practiced Thursday. LB Daiyan Henley (illness) was limited on Thursday along with CB Cam Hart (hip). S Elijah Molden (hamstring) and TE Will Dissly (knee) have missed two days of practice this week. Molden sat out against Las Vegas after getting banged up in practice last week.
Series notes
The Chargers swept the Broncos in 2024. ... Denver is 27-38 on the road against the Chargers. ... Denver’s most recent win at SoFi Stadium was a 24-7 decision on Dec. 10, 2023. ... Broncos coach Sean Payton and Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh shared a quarterback room as players in 1987 with the Chicago Bears.
Stats and stuff
Payton is 65 games over .500 during the regular season in his career. The only active coaches above him are Andy Reid (125), Mike Tomlin (76) and John Harbaugh (68). ... QB Bo Nix has been sacked just 25 times while attempting 637 passes. The only quarterback to have fewer sacks in 2024-25 — with a minimum of 500 drop-backs — is Buffalo’s Josh Allen (16). ... The Chargers’ defense had seven players with multiple pass breakups in the win over Las Vegas on Monday. No team in the past 30 seasons has had more players with two-plus passes defensed in a single game. ... The Chargers defense leads the AFC and ranks second in the NFL this season, allowing just 6.0 points per game in the first half. ... Broncos WR Courtland Sutton played in his 100th game last weekend in Indianapolis. His 5,407 yards receiving, 386 catches and 33 TDs all rank third in team history through 100 games. ... The Chargers haven’t allowed a touchdown in the second half so far. ... Broncos TE Evan Engram made his 500th catch against Indianapolis. ... Broncos OTs Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey each have 100 starts at the position. They join the Los Angeles Rams duo of D.J. Humphries and Rob Havenstein as the only active teammates to start at least 100 games at tackle. ... The Broncos are tied for second in red zone defense (25%), trailing only the Chargers (16.7%). ... Denver OLB Nik Bonitto has 15 quarterback pressures through two games, according to NextGen Stats. It’s the most in the league this season. ... Broncos coach Sean Payton needs one win to tie Bill Parcells for the 16th-most regular-season wins in NFL history. ... Chargers QB Justin Herbert needs 11 pass completions to reach 2,000. If he does it Sunday in his 82nd game, he would become the second-fastest player to reach that mark in league history, trailing only Patrick Mahomes (81 games). ... The Chargers have not started 3-0 since 2002. ... The Broncos are playing their first divisional game of the season.
Fantasy tip
You might want to bench Chargers RB Omarion Hampton, a first-round pick in this year's draft. He played nearly 81% of the snaps in Week 1 and scored seven points, but Hampton fell off in Week 2 and Najee Harris saw increased action.
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