Broncos Beat Chargers 23-17: Jim vs. Harry

Broncos Beat Chargers 23-17, but Is the Fourth-Quarter Act a Real Plan

The Broncos beat Chargers 23-17 in Inglewood on Sunday. It was ugly, and the brothers can’t agree on what it means. Denver’s last two Sundays went in opposite directions. On Oct. 4 it was a 24-14 loss at San Francisco, and this week it was a comeback win over a team that hasn’t won all year. With Seattle coming to town on a short week, Jim and Harry are already arguing.

Round 1: How the Broncos Beat Chargers in the Fourth

JIM: Write this down, Harry. Wil Lutz kicked a go-ahead 19-yard field goal with 5:07 remaining, then kicked a 36-yard field goal to put the Broncos up six points. Before that, Courtland Sutton caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Bo Nix, tying the score at 17 midway through the fourth. That’s a closer’s quarter.

HARRY: A closer? We were losing in the third. The Chargers took a 17-10 lead late in the third quarter on Kimani Vidal’s 42-yard TD run the first play after Tuli Tuipulotu forced and recovered a fumble when Nix tried to scramble. And the defense won this game, not the offense. Herbert got sacked for an 8-yard loss at his 24-yard line by Zach Allen, who forced a fumble that was recovered by Que Robinson.

JIM: Fine, Zach Allen gets the game ball. I’m not a monster. Then Herbert was intercepted by Brandon Jones on fourth down, and the Broncos won without injured cornerbacks Pat Surtain II (ankle) and Riley Moss (ribs). Two starting corners out and they still held them to zero points in the fourth.

HARRY: And the big headline is coach Sean Payton calling the plays. He took those duties away from offensive coordinator Davis Webb earlier in the week. The offense still went nowhere. Denver averaged just 3.8 yards per play and was 1-of-6 on third downs in the first half. And 97 points scored against 111 allowed is not what a 3-2 team usually looks like.

JIM: Look at the line scores, genius. Fourth-quarter points: 14 against Jacksonville, 14 against the Rams, 11 at San Francisco and 13 Sunday. This team waits until the fourth quarter every week. My opinion: it’s a bad habit, but it keeps winning games. It was also Denver’s first division win and first victory at SoFi Stadium since 2023.

Round 2: Buffs and Colorado Roundup

HARRY: This one hurts. The latest Buffs result I could confirm is a 29-7 loss to No. 12 Texas Tech on Oct. 3, which dropped Colorado to 2-3 and 0-2 in the Big 12. I couldn’t confirm a result from this past Saturday by press time, so we’re leaving it out. Folsom Field on a fall Saturday means a lot to people around here, and that’s why it stings.

JIM: Harry’s getting misty about Boulder again. The cold facts: 18.6 points per game, 124th of 138. Bright spot: CU soccer set a program-record 14-match win streak, but Kansas won 1-0 Sunday at Prentup Field on a goal with six minutes remaining. We couldn’t verify Avs and Nuggets updates in time, so those wait for next week.

Round 3: Around the NFL and Monday Night Football

JIM: Here’s Sunday’s scoreboard. Ravens at Falcons on Sunday Night Football wasn’t final when we checked, so it isn’t in the table.

Winner	Score	Loser
Jaguars	19-17	Eagles (London)
Bengals	31-24	Dolphins
Patriots	45-17	Raiders
Vikings	23-13	Saints
Jets	17-12	Browns
Steelers	34-22	Colts
Texans	26-3	Titans
Packers	31-7	Bears
Giants (tie)	27-27 OT	Commanders (tie)
Broncos	23-17	Chargers
Lions	45-21	Cardinals
49ers	32-29	Seahawks

Sources: NFL.com, Yahoo Sports

HARRY: The biggest national story: the 49ers stayed undefeated by beating the Seattle Seahawks 32-29. Also, the Giants and Commanders tied 27-27 after a pair of blunders in the final minutes of overtime. And Fox Sports reported Marvin Harrison Jr. is going to the Texans in the first big trade of the 2026 season.

JIM: The basement is full: the Chargers, Dolphins and Titans are all still winless at 0-5. Tonight’s Monday Night Football is Bills at Rams, kicking off at 6:15 p.m. MT (8:15 p.m. ET) on ABC and ESPN. The Bills come in 3-1 and the Rams 2-2.

Round 4: Seahawks at Mile High, Short Week

HARRY: The Broncos’ Thursday game is a Week 6 “Thursday Night Football” matchup against the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, Thursday, Oct. 15, 6:15 p.m. MT, Prime Video. That’s 8:15 p.m. ET. Both teams are on a short week, and Seattle is coming off a three-point loss in a game Fox called an instant classic. My bold call (opinion): the home crowd carries the Broncos.

JIM: You’re going with crowd noise over the box score? Fine. My worry is the secondary. If Surtain and Moss can’t go, I don’t trust a short-week defense against the champs. My opinion: if Payton calls plays like he did in the second half and the cornerbacks return, Denver steals it. If not, Seattle does.

Picks (All Opinion, No Betting Advice)

JIM, MNF: Bills over Rams. Buffalo’s 3-1 for a reason.
HARRY, MNF: Rams over Bills. They’re at home and need it more.
JIM, TNF: Seahawks 24, Broncos 20. It hurts to type that.
HARRY, TNF: Broncos 23, Seahawks 21, winning in the fourth quarter like always.

No picks from last week were submitted, so there’s no scorecard this week. For the national picture, check out The Hairy Times’ pro sports page.

Your turn: Think Jim or Harry got it wrong? Make your case in the comments (join the Balz Fan Club free to comment and like the best takes). Want the bigger picture beyond the box score? Read The Hairy Times, our sister paper.

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