Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is tripped up by Denver Broncos safety Brandon Jones in the third quarter.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is tripped up by Denver Broncos safety Brandon Jones in the third quarter of the Chargers’ 23-17 loss Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
The Chargers lose to the Denver Broncos 23-17, dropping to 0-5 for the first time since 2003 after three second-half turnovers erased their lead.
Justin Herbert’s late collapse overshadowed Kimani Vidal’s dazzling 42-yard touchdown run: Herbert was stopped on fourth-and-one before turning over the ball twice.
They tore off a 42-yard touchdown run they could hang in the Louvre.
But in the end, the Chargers wound up with yet another L.
A fifth consecutive defeat — a 23-17 loss to the Denver Broncos — sent the Chargers corkscrewing deeper into the NFL cellar Sunday and grasping for answers in a season that began with promise that now feels like a mirage.
“Not where we want to be,” said quarterback Justin Herbert, quickly uttering the understatement of the afternoon.
The Chargers are 0-5 for the first time since 2003, when they finished 4-12. But with the way they are playing now, identifying four wins on this schedule is a chore. They head to 4-0 Kansas City next Sunday, then, after a week off, face the Rams.
Most painful for the Chargers is that they came tantalizingly close to winning, claiming their first lead in the third quarter only to hand it back with three consecutive drive-killing turnovers in the fourth.
Herbert melted down, getting stonewalled on a fourth-and-one keeper, fumbling away the next possession, then ending the next with an interception. The Broncos tied the score after making the defensive stop, then inched away with two drives that ended with field goals.
Coach Jim Harbaugh blamed himself for starting the landslide by deciding to go for it on fourth down from the Chargers’ 41, saying the team should have punted then relied on its defense, which had played well all day.
What’s more, Harbaugh said he should have called a timeout when he saw the Broncos “gap down” before the snap to form the wall that stopped Herbert.
“I did not put our players, our team, our organization in the best position to win that game,” Harbaugh said.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert walks off the field after fumbling the ball during the fourth quarter.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert walks off the field after fumbling the ball during the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
Herbert was sacked five times with a fumble and an interception. Dating to last season, he has gone seven consecutive games with at least as many interceptions as touchdowns. He completed 14 of 24 passes for 121 yards, his lowest passing total since throwing for 81 yards in a 35-6 loss at Jacksonville last November.
“Just can’t turn the ball over,” said Herbert, his answers shorter than audibles at the line of scrimmage.
Similar to last season, Herbert was playing behind a cobbled-together offensive line, with starting tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater injured a week earlier in the loss at Seattle.
The Chargers started four rookies on the offensive line, three of whom are backups. They also were without All-Pro safety Derwin James Jr., who missed a second game with a hamstring injury, and No. 1 receiver Ladd McConkey, hobbled by an injured foot.
Still, the game was tight for three-plus quarters because Denver couldn’t get its offense rolling, either. Through three quarters, the Broncos had run 37 offensive plays, all but two of which went for fewer than 10 yards.
After the Chargers forged a 10-10 tie with a seven-yard touchdown pass to tight end Hayden Rucci, they claimed the lead with a highlight-reel touchdown run by Kimani Vidal, who broke five tackles on the way to his 42-yard score.
Kimani Vidal with the 42-yard TD run 🏃@DENvsLAC on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/oWVJwoYm5a
— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026
Oddly, seeing as it came on his home field, Vidal’s touchdown only quieted SoFi Stadium, which was awash in orange jerseys.
The place would reignite, however, with the trio of Chargers turnovers.
This was the first game that Broncos coach Sean Payton took over playcalling duties and — thanks in large part to the Chargers’ defense — his team fell far short of overwhelming.
Denver converted just one of 12 third downs and finished with 224 yards, 13 fewer than the Chargers. The Broncos did pick up their first divisional win, however, after losing their opener to Kansas City.
The Chargers struggled from the start. Their first pass, a completion to tight end Charlie Kolar, was fumbled away. That came a week after Herbert’s opening throw was picked off by Seattle.
Chargers running back Kimani Vidal carries the ball in the third quarter against the Broncos on Sunday.
Chargers running back Kimani Vidal carries the ball in the third quarter against the Broncos on Sunday. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
Rumblings are ramping up for a different kind of Charger turnover. The team has not been able to consistently move the ball despite changing offensive coordinators to Mike McDaniel, former head coach of the Miami Dolphins.
Harbaugh said after the loss to Seattle that there are no plans to replace McDaniel, but that drum beat grows louder with each loss.
“Just keep digging deep and moving forward,” Harbaugh said Sunday. “That’s what staying the course looks like.”
So far, the hole only grows deeper.