Denver Broncos @ Los Angeles Chargers
Final Score: Chargers 23, Denver 20
Writer: Chris Helle (@ChrisHelleQBL on Twitter/X, Reddit)
The 1-1 Denver Broncos traveled to Los Angeles to face their undefeated divisional counterpart. Quentin Johnston hauled in a 37-yard catch to set up the Chargers for a field goal to take the early lead, but those would be the only points in the first quarter. The teams combined for five punts with only 14 total yards on offense the rest of the quarter. Looking for Johnston again deep in Denver territory, Justin Herbert‘s pass was deflected into an interception. The Broncos were unable to convert the turnover to points, and then allowed a nine-play drive for L.A. capped off by a touchdown from Omarion Hampton. Denver struck back quickly though, as Bo Nix hit Courtland Sutton for a 52-yd TD to cut it to a 10-7 Chargers lead going into the half. J.K. Dobbins took over the first drive of the second half, accounting for all 66 yards on three plays including his 19-yard TD. It looked like things were falling off the rails for L..A. after losing a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, but the Chargers held Denver to only a field goal and returned the favor with a 24-yard field goal of their own. Back-to-back three-and-outs were followed by a 10-play drive from the Broncos to extend their lead back to seven with their second field goal of the game. Another trade of punts set the stage for the Chargers to run a dominant 76-yard drive tying the game via a Keenan Allen touchdown. Denver had 2:37 on the clock in a tie game, but went three-and-out and gave the ball back to L.A. with 1:43 left. Herbert was surgical, completing all of his passes as the Chargers marched down to the 27 yard-line. Cameron Dicker knocked home the walk-off 43-yarder, and the Chargers are walked out with their first 3-0 start in 27 years.
Two Up
- Oronde Gadsden II — He made the most of his opportunity with Will Dissley not suited up, serving as a safe and reliable option for Justin Herbert all game.
- J.K. Dobbins — Provided a huge spark to Denver’s offense to start the second half. Even though RJ Harvey was on the field early in the game, Dobbins was the one getting snaps on the final drive with the game on the line.
Two Down
- Najee Harris — Suffered an apparent Achilles injury while simply getting out of his stance. We’ll wait for the official announcement of the injury and its severity, but noncontact injuries are always scary to see.
- RJ Harvey — He was given the start, but Dobbins was the far better back in this one and coach Sean Payton stayed with the hot hand.
Denver Broncos
Quarterback
Bo Nix: 14/25, 153 Yards, 1 TD | 8 Carries, 33 Yards
The story of the game for Bo Nix was missed opportunities. Twice he had Marvin Mims Jr. on deep ball would-be TDs and another with Courtland Sutton, but he overthrew all three of those chances. Outside of that, he played fairly solid given how strong the Chargers’ defense is. Most of the remaining incompletions were either throwaways, PBUs, or deflected at the line of scrimmage. Nix did a respectable job feeling pressure and managing the pocket to avoid all but two sacks. There was a designed QB draw called when they were on the 5-yard line, but he was brought down only 1 yard downfield. Fantasy managers would have loved to have had those deep balls hit or that rushing TD to convert, but we knew that this was going to be a difficult matchup coming into it.
Running Back
J.K. Dobbins: 11 Carries, 83 Yards, 1 TDs | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 0 Yards
As someone who believes in the talent of RJ Harvey and was excited to see Harvey on the field for the Broncos’ first two drives, J.K. Dobbins did everything right to retain his status as the lead RB in this backfield. Payton called his number on three straight plays to start the second half: a carry for 41 yards, another shifty run for 6 more, and then a backward pass on a swing that he evaded 3 defenders and tip-toed the sidelines for a 19-yard TD.
RJ Harvey: 2 Carries, 2 Yards | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 14 Yards
Us RJ Harvey believers will have to wait a bit longer for him to earn his way into leading this backfield given how well Dobbins performed. His best play of the day was a checkdown he took for 12 yards, but it was called back by an offensive offsides. His receptions all came on designed screens which is encouraging, but this LA defense smothered each of his carries.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Courtland Sutton: 8 Targets, 6 Receptions, 118 Yards, 1 TDs
Courtland Sutton‘s full route tree was on display in this one and he was truly dominant. His first target was broken up by St.-Juste, but he caught almost every other catchable target his way. There was a chance for a huge play that Nix overthrew, but Sutton had already had his highlight from a 52-yard TD earlier in the game. He did have a pass that he bobbled away, but it doesn’t show on the stat line because Lucas Krull was there to reel it in. Target shares on this offense seem to be a question mark everywhere outside of this man, and for good reason.
Troy Franklin: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 8 Yards
After leading the team with 9 targets last week, it was a much quieter day for Troy Franklin. The two incompletions were a throwaway and a pass batted at the line of scrimmage, but the two receptions were screens designed for him. There was a chance at a TD that he was targeted in the end zone, but he dropped the pass and the play was negated by an offensive pass interference. It seems like last week’s spike in targets was a product of a high-scoring game script, and his target share isn’t as reliable as we would have thought.
Marvin Mims Jr.: 4 Targets, 1 Receptions, 4 Yards
Marvin Mims Jr.‘ best plays came on returning punts, but he provides the take the top off the defense speed to get deep-ball opportunities. He had two chances at 50-plus-yard plays, but Nix led him too much on both. It looks like Mims will be a very boom or bust fantasy asset who doesn’t command enough work as a receiver to depend upon.
Lucas Krull: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 9 Yards
Lucas Krull filled in for the injured Evan Engram, and was generally a nonfactor. His only reception wasn’t even intended for him, it was bobbled up out of Sutton’s hands and Krull was johnny on the spot.
Los Angeles Chargers
Quarterback
Justin Herbert: 28/47, 300 Yards, 1 TD, 1 INT | 2 Carries, 6 Yards
Through much of the game Justin Herbert was a little off the mark, but he was under duress more times than not. He was sacked five times and constantly had to maneuver in the pocket and roll out to evade pressure. Herbert had been fitting his throws into tight windows a few times throughout the game, but one was deflected into an INT. Despite the rocky road, he had ice in his veins with the game on the line and led the game-winning drive.
Running Back
Omarion Hampton: 19 Carries, 70 Yards, 1 TD, 1 FUM (recovered) | 7 Targets, 6 Receptions, 59 Yards
The first-round draft pick got his first taste of a full workload following Najee Harris‘ early exit. His runs were generally stuffed for short gains, with his longest run going for 11 yards. He made his money via checkdown work as the secondary was focused on the WRs. There weren’t any jaw-dropping plays or moves he made that would distinguish him as an elite playmaker, but this type of volume on an offense this good makes for an extremely valuable fantasy asset. Oh, yeah, he also scored his first NFL TD on a goal-line carry — something we will likely see more of.
Najee Harris: 6 Carries, 28 Yards
Najee Harris looked to be the solid RB we know him to be through the start of the game, but unfortunately he went down with what preliminary tests believe to be a torn Achilles. This injury will likely sideline him for the remainder of the season, which is sad news for him, the team, and fantasy owners.
Derius Davis: 1 Carries, 2 Yards, 1 FUM (Lost)
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Ladd McConkey: 7 Targets, 4 Receptions, 41 Yards
This was about as little as we could expect from Ladd McConkey, but it shouldn’t be too surprising given the matchup. Herbert looked his way early for a deeper pass that was led a tad too far, and then had another potential catch broken up by a crashing Talanoa Hufanga. He drew a DPI after being tripped on a route that could’ve gone for over 20 yards, and Herbert missed him again on a sail route over the middle of the field. Despite these missed opportunities, he beat Pat Surtain II on a few routes to log a low but acceptable stat line. There should be no worries regarding his role or target share, this was simply a brutal matchup with some unfortunate inaccuracies from Herbert.
Quentin Johnston: 10 Targets, 6 Receptions, 89 Yards
Quentin Johnston continues his heater to start the season, kicking this game off with a 37-yarder. It looked like he was a little shaken up after leaving the field on the second drive of the game, but did return and continued to produce. Herbert threw the ball out of the back of the endzone in his proximity for one of the incompletions on the statline, and another was a pass broken up by Surtain. He also had a deep ball thrown his way that was overthrown by Herbert. Maybe his best play of the game was an impressive jumping catch for 23 yards that he was tackled 1 yard short of the goal line. The drops from last season seem to have subsided, and he’s filling out to be the high-caliber WR that the Chargers drafted him to be.
Keenan Allen: 11 Targets, 7 Receptions, 65 Yards, 1 TD
Keenan Allen was another victim of a few misfires from Herbert and a PBU from Surtain, but was the beneficiary of L.A.’s only passing TD. He’s a savvy veteran who’s still very capable of creating separation and reeling in contested catches. If offensive coordinator Greg Roman continues to allow Herbert to use his arm (which we might expect given the loss of Najee), Allen should continue to see plenty of work.
Oronde Gadsden II: 7 Targets, 5 Receptions, 46 Yards
The fifth-round rookie proved to be a safety net for Herbert throughout the game. He’s a former WR converted to TE, so the injury to Will Dissley allowed him to establish himself as a legitimate option in this elite offense. There are a lot of mouths to feed, but this is definitely a name to keep an eye on.
Tyler Conklin: 2 Targets, 0 Receptions, 0 Yards
Tucker Fisk: 1 Target, 0 Receptions, 0 Yards
Tre’ Harris: 1 Target, 0 Receptions, 0 Yards