Broncos jump on Chargers, hang on for Fangio's first win


Reuters | Denver | Updated: 07-10-2019 04:57 IST | Created: 07-10-2019 04:53 IST
Broncos jump on Chargers, hang on for Fangio's first win
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Phillip Lindsay rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown Sunday as the Denver Broncos upset the Los Angeles Chargers 20-13 in Carson, Calif., presenting Vic Fangio with his first win as an NFL coach. Denver (1-4) led 17-0 at halftime and did just enough to hold off Los Angeles (2-3) after the break. Its only points in the second half came on Brandon McManus' 46-yard field goal with 1:55 remaining, providing a 20-10 lead.

Rookie kicker Chase McLaughlin drew the Chargers within seven points on a 32-yard field goal with 10 seconds left, but the Broncos recovered the ensuing onside kick to seal the outcome. Quarterback Joe Flacco completed 14 of 20 passes for 182 yards with a touchdown and an interception for Denver, which outgained Los Angeles 350-246.

Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers endured a rough day, hitting on 32 of 48 passes for just 211 yards and tossing two interceptions. Los Angeles had two turnovers inside the 2-yard line, fumbling out the end zone and throwing an interception in the end zone from the 2. The Broncos thoroughly dominated the first half, beginning with the afternoon's first possession. The Broncos ripped off a 75-yard drive in seven plays, capped when Lindsay scored on a 4-yard run just 3:54 into the game.

It became 14-0 with 4:58 to play in the quarter when Flacco and Courtland Sutton combined for a 70-yard touchdown pass, the kind of big play Denver's offense didn't produce often enough during an 0-4 start to the season. Its longest play entering the day was 53 yards. McManus upped the margin to 17-0 with a 40-yard field goal with 5:17 left in the first half. The Broncos' defense made the lead last into halftime, coming up with a goal-line stand as Kareem Jackson forced an Austin Ekeler fumble inside the 1-yard line on fourth-and-goal after he caught Rivers' pass. The ball went out the end zone for a touchback.

The Chargers frittered away another great chance in the third quarter when Rivers tossed an interception to Alexander Johnson in the end zone. But Desmond King got the Chargers on the board with 31 seconds remaining in the third, returning a Colby Wadman punt 68 yards for a touchdown. 

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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