Broncos–Chargers rivalry

Notable moments

1985–2006

• November 17, 1985: Broncos' safety Dennis Smith blocked two straight field goal attempts in overtime, after the Chargers had advanced the football to the Broncos' 23-yard line in the first overtime possession. On 4th and 4 from the Broncos' 23, Smith blocked Bob Thomas' initial field goal attempt, only to have it negated due to a timeout being called by teammate Mike Harden prior to the kick. Following the timeout, Thomas attempted a second kick, and this was also blocked by Smith and returned by Louis Wright for a 60-yard touchdown for a 30–24 Broncos' overtime win at Mile High Stadium.
• September 4, 1994: The Broncos jumped out to a 24–6 lead at Mile High Stadium on the Chargers in the second quarter, however, the Chargers responded, and took a 27–24 lead at half time, after safety Stanley Richard returned a John Elway interception 99 yards for a touchdown just before halftime. The Chargers later sealed the victory after linebacker Junior Seau recovered a fumble by Elway in the game's closing seconds.
• September 14, 2003: The Broncos routed the Chargers 37–13 at Qualcomm Stadium. However, the game is notable for a uniform mix-up, in which the Broncos came to the stadium in their road white jerseys, when the host Chargers were planning to wear white, and were supposed to be the team that declared their uniform color. The Broncos were fined $25,000 as a result, and when the two teams met at Invesco Field at Mile High later that season in Week 11, the NFL allowed the Chargers to choose their uniform color in advance, and they chose navy blue, forcing the Broncos to wear their white jerseys at home for the first time since.
• December 10, 2006: The Chargers routed the Broncos 48–20 at Qualcomm Stadium, in which Chargers' running back LaDainian Tomlinson set a new NFL record for touchdowns in a single season, with 28.

  2007–2011

• December 24, 2007: In the fourth quarter of a Monday night game at Qualcomm Stadium, Broncos' quarterback Jay Cutler was involved in a verbal scuffle with Chargers' quarterback Philip Rivers and linebacker Matt Wilhelm, with Rivers taunting Cutler and Wilhelm mocking a "waving" gesture. Broncos' cornerback Champ Bailey took exception to Rivers' taunting of Cutler.
• September 14, 2008: With 52 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Chargers were leading 38–31 in Denver. The Broncos hiked the ball on 2nd-and-goal from the Chargers' 1-yard line. Jay Cutler rolled out to the right and fumbled the football before he brought his arm forward, which was recovered by Chargers' linebacker Tim Dobbins. However, referee Ed Hochuli called the play dead as he believed it to be an incomplete pass, so the ball was returned to the Broncos at the 10-yard line. Two plays later, on 4th-and-goal from the 4, Cutler threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Eddie Royal to make the score 38–37. Instead of kicking an extra point to tie the game and send it to overtime, Broncos' head coach Mike Shanahan opted for a 2-point conversion. Cutler completed the conversion with another pass to Royal, giving the Broncos a 39–38 victory.
• December 28, 2008: The Broncos and Chargers met in the regular-season finale in San Diego, with the winner clinching the AFC West title. Three weeks earlier, the Broncos were 8–5 and the Chargers were 5–8, with the Broncos losing their next two games and the Chargers winning their next two to pull to within one game of the Broncos for the division lead. Three and a half months after the aforementioned controversial Broncos' win in Denver, the Chargers exacted revenge, with an emphatic 52–21 win that not only completed a monumental Broncos' season-ending collapse, but also denied the Broncos a playoff berth. The two teams finished the 2008 season tied for first-place in the AFC West, each with an 8–8 record, however, the Chargers won the division based on a better record against AFC West divisional opponents. This was also Mike Shanahan's last game as the Broncos' head coach, as he was fired two days later after 14 seasons.
• November 27, 2011: Quarterback Tim Tebow led the Broncos to a 16–13 win at Qualcomm Stadium in overtime, with kicker Matt Prater nailing a 37-yard field goal with 29 seconds left. Earlier in overtime, the Broncos blocked a 53-yard attempt by Chargers' kicker Nick Novak, however, Broncos' head coach John Fox called a timeout prior to the kick. Novak subsequently missed the second attempt.

  2012–present

• October 15, 2012: Trailing 24–0 at halftime after back-to-back special teams turnovers and an interception returned for a touchdown, quarterback Peyton Manning led the Broncos to a stunning 35–24 comeback win in San Diego. Three second-half interceptions and two lost fumbles by Chargers' quarterback Philip Rivers swung the momentum toward the Broncos' favor, as Manning and the Broncos capitalized on each Chargers' mistake. Manning went 13/14 for 167 yards and three touchdowns in the second half, hitting Demaryius Thomas on a 29-yard score with 10:56 left in the third quarter to get the Broncos on the scoreboard. Following a 65-yard touchdown on a fumble recovery by cornerback Tony Carter, the Broncos suddenly found themselves down only 10 as the Chargers watched their comfortable halftime lead dwindle. Manning added two more touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, finding Eric Decker on a 7-yard score and then connecting with Brandon Stokley on a 21-yard pitch and catch to give the Broncos a 28–24 lead with 9:03 left. Cornerback Chris Harris, Jr. sealed the comeback with a 46-yard interception return to put the Broncos up 35–24 with 2:06 left. The defense added one final takeaway as Rivers fumbled in the game's final minute to end what was certainly an instant Monday Night Football classic.
• September 11, 2017: The Chargers were attempting a game-tying 44-yard field goal at Sports Authority Field at Mile High with five seconds left in the game, after trailing 24–7 to begin the fourth quarter. However, Chargers' placekicker Younghoe Koo's field goal attempt was blocked by Broncos' defensive end Shelby Harris for a Broncos' 24–21 win. Koo's initial field goal attempt was good, but it was nullified as the result of Broncos' head coach Vance Joseph calling a timeout in order to ice the kicker, forcing a second attempt.
• November 18, 2018: The Chargers were leading 19–7 in the third quarter at StubHub Center, and were threatening to pull away from the Broncos. However, linebacker Von Miller swung the momentum in the Broncos' favor, with an interception of a screen pass by Chargers' quarterback Philip Rivers, returning the football 40 yards to the Chargers' 18-yard line. This set up a 3-yard touchdown run by running back Royce Freeman to pull the Broncos to within a 19–14 deficit. Following a 2-yard touchdown by running back Phillip Lindsay and a go-ahead 30-yard field goal by Chargers' placekicker Michael Badgley, Broncos' quarterback Case Keenum engineered a game-winning drive, culminating in a 34-yard field goal by placekicker Brandon McManus as time expired, for a 23–22 Broncos' victory.
• December 1, 2019: After a 46-yard field goal by Chargers' placekicker Michael Badgley tied the score at 20–20 with only 14 seconds remaining at Empower Field at Mile High, the game appeared to be headed to overtime. However, instead of a kneel-down, Broncos' rookie quarterback Drew Lock, in his NFL debut, launched a deep pass attempt to wide receiver Courtland Sutton, who drew a pass interference penalty on cornerback Casey Hayward at the Chargers' 35-yard line. This set up Broncos' placekicker Brandon McManus with the game-winning 53-yard field goal as time expired.

  Game results

Connections between the teams

Coaches

Players