NFL: Los Angeles Chargers beat Denver Broncos to leave both on play-off brink
Quarterback Justin Herbert passed for 284 yards and two touchdowns, both in the final quarter, as the Chargers came back from a 24-13 deficit late in the third.
Gus Edwards added two rushing touchdowns to help the hosts claim their first win in three games and halt a four-game winning streak for the Broncos.
Both teams now have a 9-6 record with two games left in the regular season and sit in the final two play-off spots in the AFC Conference.
They will clinch a place in the post-season if both the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts fail to win on Sunday.
Bo Nix had 263 passing yards and two touchdown passes for the Broncos, who have not reached the play-offs since winning the Super Bowl in 2016.
Both those touchdowns came in the second quarter, helping Denver into a 21-10 lead, before the Chargers made it 21-13 at half-time with the first successful fair-catch free-kick field goal in 46 years.
The Chargers then fought back, with Edwards getting into the end zone from five yards while Herbert made a 19-yard touchdown pass to Derius Davis before tossing the ball to Hassan Haskins, who ran it in for a 34-yard score.
A team may attempt a fair-catch field goal if it makes a fair catch when the clock expires at the end of either half.
Usually a kick returner catches a punt deep in their own territory and if they signal for a fair catch – meaning they cannot be tackled – the ball becomes dead the moment they catch it and they cannot run the ball back.
In Thursday’s game, Denver were hit with a 15-yard penalty for interference on Derius Davis as he made a fair catch, which moved the Chargers into field-goal range.
Cameron Dicker then converted from 57 yards for his second field goal of the game, adding three points to the Chargers’ total.
He was the first to even attempt a fair-catch free-kick field goal since 2019.
