Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers

DEN 23 · LAC 17 · 2026 Week 5

Herbert's fourth-quarter fumble hands Denver a 23-17 comeback

Denver trailed 17-10 entering the fourth quarter and won 23-17, because the Chargers' offense spent the final period setting money on fire. Justin Herbert was strip-sacked with 8:06 left — a minus-5.81 EPA, minus-0.206 WPA disaster — and the Broncos turned the short field into the first of two Wil Lutz field goals that sealed it.

Bo Nix threw for only 123 yards, which normally loses football games, but Denver didn't need much. Courtland Sutton's 5-yard touchdown at the 8:53 mark started the comeback, J.K. Dobbins ground out 68 yards and a score, and the defense sacked Herbert five times while picking him off once.

The Chargers' third quarter — a touchdown pass to Hayden Rucci and Kimani Vidal's 42-yard scoring run — will be remembered fondly by the three people still thinking about it. Los Angeles finished at minus-26.4 total EPA, and still led this game in the fourth quarter. That's not a collapse; that's performance art.