How Denver lost: On the opening possession, Denver drove to the San Diego 18-yard line before Jay Cutler fumbled the ball away to the Chargers, who quickly took control, running, passing and dominating the Broncos to the point that several San Diego star players were able to rest after the midway point of the third quarter. San Diego’s 23-3 victory, coupled with a game the Chargers won in Denver in October, gave it a combined 64-6 score against the Broncos this season.
The meaning: The Chargers are good. The Broncos are not. The Chargers can clinch the No. 3 seed in the AFC with a victory over the Raiders in their season finale. That would give them a chance to avoid playing Jacksonville in the first round and New England the following weekend. The loss assured Denver of a losing record for only the second time in Mike Shanahan’s 13 seasons as head coach.
Up next: The Broncos play out the string against the Minnesota Vikings at 2:15 p.m. Sunday at Invesco Field at Mile High. The Vikings are vying for the final NFC playoff spot. A Minnesota victory and a loss by the Washington Redskins against the Dallas Cowboys would give the Vikings the final playoff spot. The Cowboys have secured home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs and likely will rest their best players.
