Broncos vs. Chargers Spread

The AFC West rivals Denver Broncos and LA Chargers have met 123 times between 1960 and 2020.

With three Super Bowl championships under their belt, the Broncos have earned bragging rights. But with a promising rookie quarterback leading the Chargers, will Denver still keep their advantage?

Broncos-Chargers: All-Time Series

October 16, 1960: The year 1960 marked the inaugural season for the Los Angeles Chargers. During that year, the Broncos weren’t very good, but they were confident to take down the newbie Chargers in their matchup.

The game was a kicker’s duel between the Charger’s Ben Agajanian, known as the “toeless wonder,” and Denver’s Gene Mingo, the first African-American placekicker. Out of the 42 points of both teams, 30 of those were scored by the kickers.

The Los Angeles Chargers won their matchup with the Broncos, 23-19. They gained their first AFC West division title that year but fell short in the AFC championship when they faced the Tennessee Titans,16-24.

November 17, 1985:John Elway of the Denver Broncos led another one of his famous fourth-quarter drives to send their matchup with the Chargers to OT.

In overtime, it looked like Los Angeles would have the last laugh as they lined up for a 24-yard game field goal. Denver’s Dennis Smith blocked the first attempt, but the Broncos called timeout.

Smith blocked the field goal again on the second attempt, as fellow Broncos player Louis Wright returned the ball 60 yards for the game-winning touchdown. The final score was 30-24.

September 18, 2005:Entering halftime, Los Angeles had a 14-3 lead and seemed poised to take the division title from Denver early in the season.

The Broncos hadn’t moved the ball much at that point, so the fans started to taunt. With the offense not scoring TDs, Denver’s Champ Bailey made an interception and took it 25 yards back for the Broncos’ first end-zone romp of the game.

Bailey’s effort energized Denver in the game, and they went on to win by a final score of 20-17 against the Chargers.

September 14, 2008:Denver’s QB Jay Cutler threw a last-minute TD, and two-point conversion passes to his teammate Eddie Royal. They lifted the Broncos to a 39-38 win over the Chargers.

October 19, 2009:The year 2009 was Josh McDaniels’ first year as head coach of the Denver Broncos. The team was off to a great start 5-0 after some offseason drama that ended in the trade of starting QB Jay Cutler to the Bears.

Denver’s Eddie Royal was underused in the new offense. However, he showed a game-changing ability in the Broncos-Chargers game with his two first-half special teams touchdowns. With his help, the Broncos sealed the 34-23 victory over the Chargers.

Broncos-Chargers: Stats Last Season

The 2020 NFL Week 8

The Denver Broncos defeated the LA Chargers as QB Drew Lock knocked off Los Angeles’ quarterback Justin Herbert. The Chargers’ offensive line also struggled with the opposing team’s pass protection scheme.

Herbert turned to his teammate Keenan Allen during the four-minute drive in the waning stages of the second quarter.

Allen’s presence on the field was the key to the Charger’s first scoring drive of the game. Despite his efforts ‘til the end of the matchup, Allen and the Chargers weren’t lucky enough to win against the Broncos. The final score was 30-31.

The 2020 NFL Week 16

The Los Angeles Chargers met the Denver Broncos at SoFi Stadium in California. Justin Herbert set the mark for the most rookie TD passes in a season in LAC’s 19-16 victory over the Broncos on Sunday Night Football.

After Denver’s Brandon McManus tied the game at 16 with a 52-yard field goal at 2:47, LAC (6-9) took over and were in the red zone in three plays. LAC running back Austin Ekeler had 34 of his 45 rushing yards on two carries.

Meanwhile, Herbert connected with fellow Chargers player Jalen Guyton for a 23-yard reception. Four plays later, Michael Badgley got the winning points to secure the Chargers’ first three-game winning streak in two years. The final score was 19-16.

Broncos-Chargers: Betting Trends in the 2020 NFL

Week 8: Chargers at Broncos

Both the Denver Broncos and the LA Chargers entered their Sunday matchup with a 2-4 record. Most of the time, when there are teams with equal standings, the home team gets the public’s support.

However, the betting world saw Denver and LAC going in opposite directions, giving the Chargers a -3 spread.

The reason Los Angeles was favored over Denver was because of the quarterback situation. LAC’s rookie first-rounder Justin Herbert was getting a lot of hype that year.

Meanwhile, Denver’s quarterback Drew Lock was also a talk of the town because of his not-so-stellar performances, two in a row.

Below are the Week 8 betting odds for Broncos-Chargers:

Against the spread (ATS): -3 Los Angeles Chargers

Over/under: 44

Moneyline: -175 LAC | +156 Denver

The Breakdown

ATS:Los Angeles has been one of the best teams in the league against the spread. They were 4-1-1 through the first six games of the 2020 NFL season, with Denver right behind them at 4-2.

Over/under:The Chargers had hit the “over” in six of their last seven road games. Meanwhile, the Broncos had hit the under in 13 of their previous 18 home games.

Moneyline:Thebettors expected to see Denver pull off another upset and a chance to make a decent profit on the Broncos. However, the Chargers had done well in the 2020 season as the outright favorite.

Denver-LA Week 16

Predictions: The Los Angeles Chargers 27, the Denver Broncos 20

The Breakdown

Moneyline:The Chargers were expected to pick up a home win. Oddsmakers predicted that LAC would win and drop the Broncos to the last place in the AFC West division.

ATS: The Chargers had covered the spread in their last two games, whereas the Broncos had been the underdog in every game they had played that season.

Over/under: The Broncos and the Chargers had a combined score of 61 points in their Week 8 meeting. Denver was 2-4 O/U in their last six games, while LA was 1-3 O/U in their previous four. Oddsmakers thought it would be better to take the “under” 48.5 (-105).

How to Bet

In this 2021 NFL season, you can bet on the moneyline if you think the Broncos or the Chargers can win straight up. Check out the Broncos-Chargers odds here to help you decide.

Prop betting is also a good option, as it may revolve around an individual player’s performance. For example, you can bet on Denver’s Bradley Chubb, Joey Bosa, and Phillip Lindsay if you think they’re promising.

Where to Watch

The NFL offers free live streaming and podcast episodes. Most networks, such as ESPN, NBC, and CBS, cover the NFL games. If you want updates on other football teams, such as the ones listed below, visit the official NFL page.

1. Houston Texans
2. Seattle Seahawks
3. Las Vegas Raiders
4. Kansas City Chiefs
5. Buffalo Bills
6. New Orleans Saints
7. Green Bay Packers
8. Baltimore Ravens