After a lopsided first half, the Chargers have a 20-0 lead over the Broncos at halftime.
Los Angeles head coach Jim Harbaugh briefly exited the sideline early in the first quarter, with the Chargers announcing he was dealing with an illness. But he was back with his headset on in time to see Los Angeles running back Kimani Vidal catch a 38-yard touchdown with 4:59 left in the first quarter to give the club a 10-0 lead.
The Chargers then used a 20-play, 76-yard drive to extend their lead — though it was with kicker Cameron Dicker banging a 33-yard field goal through the uprights. That possession took 10:29 off the clock.
Dicker also hit a 20-yard field goal to open the scoring.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has 184 yards on 18-of-26 passing with a touchdown. That’s already a new season-high in single-game passing yards for the QB, as his previous high was 179 in the Week 4 loss to Kansas City.
The Broncos have only three first downs in part because they haven’t had the opportunity to run many plays. Quarterback Bo Nix threw an interception on third-and-8 on a deep pass intended for Marvin Mims to end Denver’s opening drive. The club then had a three-and-out followed by a punt after just one first down.
When the offense started getting in a bit of a rhythm, running back Javonte Williams fumbled on a run when Khalil Mack jarred the ball loose. The Chargers recovered and controlled the ball for another 3:32, en route to J.K. Dobbins scoring a 4-yard touchdown to gain a 20-point advantage.
The Chargers dominated time of possession in the first half, 21:13 to 8:47.
Nix ended the first half 3-of-10 for 22 yards with a pick. The Broncos have just three first downs, 60 total yards, and are 2-of-6 on third down.
Los Angeles has 16 first downs, 246 total yards, and is 8-of-10 on third down.
The Chargers will receive the second-half kickoff.