The Broncos head to California to see if they can shake off last week’s loss to the Texans. Stick here for live updates and analysis as Denver takes on the Chargers at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
Live updates
Pre-game updates
Inactives (12:59 p.m.):
Perine is indeed active. Bit of a scare with the knee issue forcing him to miss practice altogether on Friday, but he passed the pregame test and is good to go.
Denver’s inactive list:
- RB Tyler Badie
- OLB Thomas Incoom
- OLB Ronnie Perkins
- S JL Skinner
- C Alex Forsyth
- TE Nate Adkins
- DL Elijah Garcia
Next man up (12:21 p.m.): If Perine is unavailable, the Broncos elevated running back Tyler Badie from the practice squad. — Ryan McFadden
Good morning from SoFi Stadium (12:14 p.m.): The Broncos face a critical road test today against the Chargers. They need to stack AFC wins down the stretch in order to stay in the playoff mix. RB Samaje Perine (knee) is questionable, but he just worked out on the field and Denver is hopeful that he’ll be available to play, at least in some capacity.
Other than that, Denver is about as healthy as anybody could ask for this time of year. Perine’s status and the Broncos’ inactive list will be made official 90 minutes before kickoff. — Parker Gabriel
Scouting report (noon): Check out how the Broncos match up with the Chargers in Ryan McFadden’s scouting report.
Game predictions
Parker Gabriel, beat writer: Broncos 24, Chargers 21
Denver was its own biggest enemy in a loss last weekend at Houston. With a similar style game on tap — indoor stadium, an opponent that struggles to defend the pass — Sean Payton finds just enough patience to stick with the run plan and Russell Wilson doesn’t turn the ball over three times. Unless they really fail against Khalil Mack. … Yeah, it’s not likely to be easy.
Ryan McFadden, beat writer: Broncos 24, Chargers 21
The Broncos will get back into the win column and improve their playoff chances. It’s a divisional matchup, so things are going to be close. But I can see Sean Payton leaning on the run and using the play-action game to exploit Los Angeles’ pass defense. Denver doesn’t deserve to be in the playoffs if it can’t beat Los Angeles.
Sean Keeler, columnist: Broncos 22, Chargers 20
Somebody get the shepherd’s crook for Bolts coach Brandon Staley before he wastes any more peak years of Justin Herbert’s career. The Broncos’ pass-protection issues make you nervous in this one, granted, which is only one more reason why Sean Payton needs to let somebody other than Russ do the cooking.
Mark Kiszla, columnist: Broncos 20, Chargers 16
In Broncos Country takeover of Sofi Stadium, Denver beats the team the City of Angels never wanted. And Russell Wilson out-performs Justin Herbert, the most overrated player in the NFL.
Broncos-Chargers NFL Week 14: Must-reads
Task No. 1 for Broncos’ offensive front Sunday: Slow down Chargers pass-rusher Khalil Mack, who at 32 is “playing out of his mind”
By most general metrics, the Los Angeles Chargers’ defense isn’t particularly daunting. It ranks No. 24 overall in estimated points added per play and is relatively balanced against the pass (No. 23) and against the run (No. 20). Brandon Staley’s defense, however, does two things really well: Win third down and get after opposing quarterbacks.
Those two, of course, end up being related when teams are forced to throw the ball on third down. The Chargers are tied for third in the NFL with 41 sacks. Even in recent weeks without star defensive end Joey Bosa (on injured reserve with a foot injury), they’ve been able to generate heat. L.A. had two sacks against Baltimore on Nov. 27 and five last week in a 6-0 shutout win against New England.
The driving force: Who else but veteran Khalil Mack. The 32-year-old is putting together one of the most productive years of his storied career, racking up 15 sacks through the Chargers’ first 12 games. He’s at 99.5 for his career, so the next one will tip the register into triple digits. The Broncos will have a big task on their hands if they’re to keep him from hitting the milestone Sunday, Parker Gabriel reports. Read the full story.
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