Broncos top Chargers
DENVER – Rookie Patrick Surtain II picked off Justin Herbert twice, returning the second one 70 yards for a touchdown and sparking the Denver Broncos’ 28-7 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
The Broncos’ big win sets up a showdown for the AFC West lead next weekend in Kansas City, where the game between Denver (6-5) and the Chiefs (7-4) already was flexed to Sunday night.
Surtain’s first interception came in the end zone on a pass intended for tight end Jared Cook early in the fourth quarter. The Broncos converted that takeaway into a touchdown when Teddy Bridgewater hit tight end Eric Saubert from 9 yards to make it 21-7.
His second one came off the hands of Austin Ekeler, who watched helplessly as Surtain cradled his second interception and sprinted down the Broncos’ jubilant sideline to push Denver’s lead to 28-7.
Denver’s defense came up big on a day the injury-riddled offense lost Bridgewater temporarily to a lower right leg injury, left tackle Calvin Anderson (knee), and left guard Dalton Risner (back).
Bridgewater returned after halftime and the Broncos closed out the win by running the ball behind a makeshift line, finishing with 147 yards rushing against the league’s leakiest run defense.
The Chargers’ first two drives of the second half consisted of two dozen plays and ate up 14 minutes, 15 seconds. Both were fruitless.
Dustin Hopkins missed his first field goal attempt with the Chargers, hooking a 52-yarder wide left after an 11-play opening drive that took 7:06.
The Broncos went threeand-out and the Chargers ate up the rest of the clock in the third quarter, when Denver had the ball for just 75 seconds. But on third down from the Broncos 23, Surtain got his first interception of Herbert.