LA Chargers rally past Denver Broncos with first fair-catch kick since 1976
Trailing 21-13 at halftime Thursday night against the Denver Broncos, some wondered if the Los Angeles Chargers had any resolve left after their worst four quarters of the season.
The Chargers were in doubt about getting back on track and moving closer to clinching a playoff spot.
Justin Herbert passed for 284 yards and two touchdowns, including a go-ahead 19-yarder from Derius Davis early in the fourth quarter as the Chargers rallied for a 34-27 victory.
According to the NFL, Los Angeles (9-6) has a 97% chance of making the playoffs with the win. They can seal their second postseason berth in three seasons with losses to Indianapolis and Miami on Sunday.
“It was a total team effort from everyone. It was phenomenal,” said coach Jim Harbaugh. “The test and challenge is how you are going to respond. They went back to work and stayed the course.”
The Chargers’ comeback also saw Cameron Dicker make the first successful fair-catch kick in the NFL in 48 years. He was good from 57 yards on the final play of the first half to pull the Chargers to 21-13.
Denver (9-6) could have clinched a playoff spot, but their four-game winning streak was snapped. The Broncos still have an 85% chance of making it, but they still have tough tests in Cincinnati on Dec. 28 and at home against Kansas City in Week 18.
“Of course a disappointing defeat. The stakes were high, and we know that,” Denver coach Sean Payton said. “We had a fast start and, unusually this season, we didn’t play well enough in the second half, both offensively and defensively.”
The Broncos appeared to be on track to clinch their first postseason berth since 2015 after scoring on their first three drives to go up 21-10. But after Wil Lutz’s 41-yard field goal midway through the third quarter gave the Broncos a 24-13 lead, the Chargers stormed back.
“First three drives, 21 points, and then just stalled,” said Bo Nix, who completed 29 of 40 passes for 263 yards and two touchdowns. “We got the same defense (in the second half). For whatever reason we couldn’t continue.”
Gus Edwards – who had 14 carries for 68 yards – went five yards left for his second touchdown of the game to get the Bolts within 24-19, but the two-point conversion was off as Herbert was stopped just short of the ball. goal line.
Edwards also dug in from the 1 in the first quarter to tie the score at 7.
After Denver went three-and-out for the second time in three possessions, the Chargers took their first lead. On first-and-10 from the Denver 19, Herbert – who completed 23 of 30 passes with an interception – scrambled to his left and threw his body with his left foot to Davis with 12:29 left.
“We had him on a little bubble out of the backfield. I scrambled out, saw the pressure and he just came up the field and made an incredible play,” Herbert said.
Herbert then found Joshua Palmer in the back of the end zone for the 2-point conversion. Palmer made a one-handed grab before going out of bounds to make it 27-24.
Los Angeles put it out of reach with 2:27 remaining on Herbert’s 34-yard touchdown pass to Hassan Haskins.
Lutz narrowly made a 55-yard field goal with 57 seconds left to pull Denver within a touchdown, but Los Angeles’ Nick Niemann recovered the onside kick to snuff out any hopes of a comeback.
Herbert completed passes to 10 players, including Ladd McConkey, who had six receptions for 87 yards.
Nix had a pair of touchdown passes in the first half — a one-yard pass to Michael Burton on a rollout and a six-yard throw to Devaughn Vele in the left corner of the end zone — and completed 15 of 21 passes for 155 yards before halftime .
Audric Estime’s three-yard run at right guard gave the Broncos a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter. It was only the third time this season that Denver reached the end zone on their opening possession.
The Chargers were outscored 48-13 in four quarters, including the second half against Tampa Bay and the first half against Denver.
Entering halftime, the defense was coming off a stretch where it had allowed scores on 13 of 18 drives (including eight touchdowns) and forced just two punts in seven quarters.
Instead of Harbaugh addressing the team at halftime, it was safety Derwin James.
“I feel like as players we have to take it upon ourselves. This is our team too,” James said. “And I feel like, man, my message was simple. Man, it’s time for us to play ball. And I feel like as a team we just came out and did that. It was nothing rah, rah, rah. It was just time to go, man. It’s time for us to play our best ball in December and January. I feel like we did that today.”
Denver gained 212 yards on their first drive and 229 in the first half, but only 107 yards after halftime.
Coach Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers took advantage of a rarely used fair-catch kick, which allows a team that just made a fair catch to attempt a free kick for three points. The kick is attempted from the line of scrimmage and the defending team must be 10 yards away.
The Chargers were able to try because Denver’s Tremon Smith committed fair interference on what would have been the final play of the first half when Los Angeles’ Derius Davis tried to set up Riley Dixon’s punt at the Chargers 38.
The penalty moved the ball to the Denver 47 for an undetermined amount of time. The Chargers were also the last team to successfully execute a free kick when Ray Wersching converted from 45 yards for San Diego on November 21, 1976 against Buffalo.