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Chargers at Broncos grades: Denver claims No. 1 seed with ugly win

By January 4, 2026 | updated 3 days ago

Denver Broncos defensive end Sai'vion Jones (95) celebrates a fumble recover with defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike (96) and defensive tackle Malcolm Roach (97) during the second half Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)

The Broncos (14-3) will be the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs after beating the Chargers (11-6) on Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High.

Here are the grades from the 19-3 win:

Offense

An ugly and vanilla performance by quarterback Bo Nix and this group. It was hard to tell if it was the game plan, or the Chargers defense full of backups or both. Nix was sacked four times with only 240 yards of total offense. But it was enough to beat Los Angeles and earn the first-round bye.

Grade: D

Defense

The Denver defense dominated backup quarterback Trey Lance and the rest of the Chargers’ second-stringers. Nik Bonitto had 1.5 sacks for a new career high of 14 for the edge rusher. Denver forced two turnovers after struggling to create them the last couple of weeks, including Ja’Quan McMillan’s pick-six for the only touchdown of the game.

Grade: A

Special teams

Kicker Wil Lutz didn’t have a chance to hit his 100th straight extra point but was 4-for-4 on field goals. Marvin Mims had a 33-yard punt return the Broncos offense was unable to capitalize on.

Grade: A

Coaching

While Sunday’s plan left a lot to be desired on the offensive end, this grade for Sean Payton is about the whole season. He felt his team was good enough to win the Super Bowl, and Denver went out and secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs. Pressure will be on him in two weeks to deliver.

Grade: B

Chris Schmaedeke

Reporter

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