Justin Herbert passed for 300 yards and Cameron Dicker made a 43-yard field goal as time expired to give the Los Angeles Chargers a 23-20 victory over the Denver Broncos on Sunday in Inglewood, Calif.
Keenan Allen had seven receptions for 65 yards with a touchdown and Quentin Johnston had six catches for 89 yards as the Chargers opened the season with victories over all three of their AFC West rivals. It’s their first 3-0 start since 2002.
Omarion Hampton had 70 yards rushing on 19 carries with a touchdown for the Chargers. Los Angeles lost running back Najee Harris to an Achilles injury in the second quarter.
Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins ran for 83 yards and a touchdown against his former team. Bo Nix passed for 153 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 33 yards as Denver lost on a game-ending field goal for the second consecutive game.
Courtland Sutton had six receptions for 118 yards and a score for the Broncos (1-2).
Trailing 20-13 with 5:08 remaining, the Chargers had the ball at their own 24-yard line after a Broncos punt.
The Chargers immediately faced third down but converted on an 11-yard pass from Herbert to Allen, and an unnecessary roughness penalty against Denver’s Talanoa Hufanga on the tackle put the ball on the 50-yard line.
Four plays later, Herbert scrambled to his left and connected with Allen on a 20-yard TD pass for a 20-20 tie with 2:37 remaining.
The Los Angeles defense forced Denver into a three-and-out, then took over with 1:43 remaining for its game-winning drive.
The Chargers turned the opening possession of the game into a 32-yard field goal from Dicker.
Los Angeles increased the advantage to 10-0 with just less than two minutes remaining in the first half when Hampton scored on a 3-yard run.
The Broncos found their offense just before halftime, putting together a seven-play, 72-yard drive in a mere 1:15 to pull within 10-7 after a 52-yard TD pass from Nix to Sutton.
Denver took the opening drive of the second half 66 yards on just three plays, finishing on a 19-yard TD run from Dobbins for a 14-10 lead, their first advantage of the game.
After the Chargers’ Derius Davis fumbled the ensuing kickoff, Denver received a 42-yard field goal from Wil Lutz for a 17-10 advantage.
The Chargers pulled within 17-13 on a 24-yard field goal from Dicker with 5:35 remaining in the third quarter. A 26-yard Lutz field goal put Denver up 20-13 early in the fourth.
