Broncos–Chargers rivalry

Broncos–Chargers

Denver Broncos San Diego Chargers
First meeting	October 16, 1960 Los Angeles Chargers 23, Denver Broncos 19
Latest meeting	October 30, 2016 Broncos 27, Chargers 19
Next meeting	TBD 2017
Statistics
Meetings total	115 (including the playoffs)
All-time series	The Broncos lead 64–50–1 (including the playoffs)
Postseason results	The Broncos lead 1–0 January 12, 2014: Broncos 24, Chargers 17
Largest victory	Broncos: 38–3 (1997); Chargers: 58–20 (1963), 41–3 (2007)
Longest win streak	Broncos: 7 (1975–78); Chargers: 6 (1963–66)
Current win streak	Broncos: 1 win (2016–present)
Playoff and Championship success
AFL Championships (1960–1969) Chargers: 1963 Super Bowl Championships (3) Broncos: 1997 (XXXII), 1998 (XXXIII), 2015 (50) AFL Western Division Championships (5) (1960–1969) Chargers – 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965 AFC West Divisional Championships (25) (1970–present) Broncos (15) – 1977, 1978, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1998, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Chargers (10) – 1979, 1980, 1981, 1992, 1994, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 AFC Wild Card Berths (10) (1970–present) Broncos (7) – 1979, 1983, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2004 Chargers (3) – 1982, 1995, 2013 Super Bowl Appearances (9) Broncos (8) – 1977, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1997, 1998, 2013, 2015 Chargers (1) – 1994

The Broncos–Chargers rivalry is a rivalry between the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers in the National Football League's AFC West division. Since the American Football League was established in 1960, the Broncos and the Chargers have shared the same division, first being the AFL Western Conference, and since the AFL–NFL merger, the AFC West.

Notable moments

1985–2006

• November 17, 1985: Broncos' safety Dennis Smith blocked two straight field goal attempts in overtime, after the Chargers had advanced the football to the Broncos' 23-yard line in the first overtime possession. On 4th and 4 from the Broncos' 23, Smith blocked Bob Thomas' initial field goal attempt, only to have it negated due to a timeout being called by teammate Mike Harden prior to the kick. Following the timeout, Thomas attempted a second kick, and this was also blocked by Smith and returned by Louis Wright for a 60-yard touchdown for a 30–24 Broncos' overtime win at Mile High Stadium.^[1][2]
• September 4, 1994: The Broncos jumped out to a 24–6 lead at Mile High Stadium on the Chargers in the second quarter, however, the Chargers responded, and took a 27–24 lead at haltime, after safety Stanley Richard returned a John Elway interception 99 yards for a touchdown just before halftime. The Chargers later sealed the victory after linebacker Junior Seau recovered a fumble by Elway in the game's closing seconds.^[3]
• September 14, 2003: The Broncos routed the Chargers 37–13 at Qualcomm Stadium. However, the game is notable for a uniform mix-up, in which the Broncos came to the stadium in their road white jerseys, when the host Chargers were planning to wear white, and were supposed to be the team that declared their uniform color. The Broncos were fined $25,000 as a result, and when the two teams met at Invesco Field at Mile High later that season in Week 11 (November 16), the NFL allowed the Chargers to choose their uniform color in advance, and they chose navy blue, forcing the Broncos to wear their white jerseys at home for the first time since 1983.^[4]
• December 10, 2006: The Chargers routed the Broncos 48–20 at Qualcomm Stadium, in which Chargers' running back LaDainian Tomlinson set a new NFL record for touchdowns in a single season, with 28.^[5]

2007–present

• December 24, 2007: In the fourth quarter of a Monday night game at Qualcomm Stadium, Broncos' quarterback Jay Cutler was involved in a verbal scuffle with Chargers' quarterback Philip Rivers and linebacker Matt Wilhelm, with Rivers taunting Cutler and Wilhelm mocking a "waving" gesture. Broncos' cornerback Champ Bailey took exception to Rivers' taunting of Cutler.^[6]
• September 14, 2008: With 52 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Chargers were leading 38–31 in Denver. The Broncos hiked the ball on 2nd-and-goal from the Chargers' 1-yard line. Jay Cutler rolled out to the right and fumbled the football before he brought his arm forward, which was recovered by Chargers' linebacker Tim Dobbins. However, referee Ed Hochuli called the play dead as he believed it to be an incomplete pass, so the ball was returned to the Broncos at the 10-yard line (the spot where the ball hit the ground). Two plays later, on 4th-and-goal from the 4, Cutler threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Eddie Royal to make the score 38–37. Instead of kicking an extra point to tie the game and send it to overtime, Broncos' head coach Mike Shanahan opted for a 2-point conversion. Cutler completed the conversion with another pass to Royal, giving the Broncos a controversial 39–38 victory.^[7]
• December 28, 2008: The Broncos and Chargers met in the 2008 regular-season finale in San Diego, with the winner clinching the AFC West title. Three weeks earlier, the Broncos were 8–5 and the Chargers were 5–8, with the Broncos losing their next two games and the Chargers winning their next two to pull to within one game of the Broncos for the division lead. Three and a half months after the aforementioned controversial Broncos' win in Denver, the Chargers exacted revenge, with an emphatic 52–21 win that not only completed a monumental Broncos' season-ending collapse, but also denied the Broncos a playoff berth. The two teams finished the 2008 season tied for first-place in the AFC West, each with an 8–8 record, however, the Chargers won the division based on a better record against AFC West divisional opponents (5–1 to the Broncos' 3–3).^[8] This was also Mike Shanahan's last game as the Broncos' head coach, as he was fired two days later after 14 seasons.^[9]
• November 27, 2011: Quarterback Tim Tebow led the Broncos to a 16–13 win at Qualcomm Stadium in overtime, with kicker Matt Prater nailing a 37-yard field goal with 29 seconds left. Earlier in overtime, the Broncos blocked a 53-yard attempt by Chargers' kicker Nick Novak, however, Broncos' head coach John Fox called a timeout prior to the kick. Novak subsequently missed the second attempt.^[10]
• October 15, 2012: Trailing 24–0 at halftime after back-to-back special teams turnovers and an interception returned for a touchdown, quarterback Peyton Manning led the Broncos to a stunning 35–24 comeback win in San Diego. Three second-half interceptions and two lost fumbles by Chargers' quarterback Philip Rivers swung the momentum toward the Broncos' favor, as Manning and the Broncos capitalized on each Chargers' mistake. Manning went 13/14 for 167 yards and three touchdowns in the second half, hitting Demaryius Thomas on a 29-yard score with 10:56 left in the third quarter to get the Broncos on the scoreboard. Following a 65-yard touchdown on a fumble recovery by cornerback Tony Carter, the Broncos suddenly found themselves down only 10 as the Chargers watched their comfortable halftime lead dwindle. Manning added two more touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, finding Eric Decker on a 7-yard score and then connecting with Brandon Stokley on a 21-yard pitch and catch to give the Broncos a 28–24 lead with 9:03 left. Cornerback Chris Harris sealed the comeback with a 46-yard interception return to put the Broncos up 35–24 with 2:06 left. The defense added one final takeaway as Rivers fumbled in the game's final minute to end what was certainly an instant Monday Night Football classic.^[11]

Game results

Broncos' victory

Chargers' victory

Tie

Postseason meeting

Note: All game dates occur on Sunday unless indicated otherwise.
Source: Pro-Football-Reference.^[12]

1960s (Chargers 15–5)

Year	Date	Winner	Result	Loser	Location
1960[lower-alpha 1]	October 16	Los Angeles Chargers	23–19	Denver Broncos	Denver
	December 10 (Sat.)	Los Angeles Chargers	41–33	Denver Broncos	Los Angeles
1961	October 29	San Diego Chargers	37–0	Denver Broncos	San Diego
	November 12	San Diego Chargers	19–16	Denver Broncos	Denver
1962	September 7 (Fri.)	Denver Broncos	30–21	San Diego Chargers	Denver
	November 4	Denver Broncos	23–20	San Diego Chargers	San Diego
1963	October 6	Denver Broncos	50–34	San Diego Chargers	Denver
	December 22	San Diego Chargers	58–20	Denver Broncos	San Diego
1964	October 18	San Diego Chargers	42–14	Denver Broncos	San Diego
	November 8	San Diego Chargers	31–20	Denver Broncos	Denver
1965	September 11 (Sat.)	San Diego Chargers	34–31	Denver Broncos	San Diego
	November 7	San Diego Chargers	35–21	Denver Broncos	Denver
1966	October 30	San Diego Chargers	24–17	Denver Broncos	San Diego
	November 27	Denver Broncos	20–17	San Diego Chargers	Denver
1967	October 22	San Diego Chargers	38–21	Denver Broncos	Denver
	November 23 (Thur.)	San Diego Chargers	24–20	Denver Broncos	San Diego
1968	October 20	San Diego Chargers	55–24	Denver Broncos	San Diego
	December 1	San Diego Chargers	47–23	Denver Broncos	Denver
1969	November 2	Denver Broncos	13–0	San Diego Chargers	Denver
	November 23	San Diego Chargers	45–24	Denver Broncos	San Diego

1970s (Broncos 13–6–1)

Year	Date	Winner	Result	Loser	Location
1970	November 18	San Diego Chargers	24–21	Denver Broncos	San Diego
	December 13		17–17		Denver
1971	October 17	Denver Broncos	20–16	San Diego Chargers	Denver
	December 12	San Diego Chargers	45–17	Denver Broncos	San Diego
1972	September 24	San Diego Chargers	37–14	Denver Broncos	San Diego
	December 10	Denver Broncos	38–13	San Diego Chargers	Denver
1973	November 11	Denver Broncos	30–19	San Diego Chargers	Denver
	December 9	Denver Broncos	42–28	San Diego Chargers	San Diego
1974	October 20	Denver Broncos	27–7	San Diego Chargers	Denver
	December 15	San Diego Chargers	17–0	Denver Broncos	San Diego
1975	November 16	Denver Broncos	27–17	San Diego Chargers	San Diego
	November 30	Denver Broncos	13–10 (OT)	San Diego Chargers	Denver
1976	October 3	Denver Broncos	26–0	San Diego Chargers	Denver
	November 14	Denver Broncos	17–0	San Diego Chargers	San Diego
1977	November 13	Denver Broncos	17–14	San Diego Chargers	San Diego
	December 11	Denver Broncos	17–9	San Diego Chargers	Denver
1978	September 17	Denver Broncos	27–14	San Diego Chargers	Denver
	October 8	San Diego Chargers	23–0	Denver Broncos	San Diego
1979	October 7	Denver Broncos	7–0	San Diego Chargers	Denver
	December 17 (Mon.)	San Diego Chargers	17–7	Denver Broncos	San Diego

1980s (Broncos 12–8)

Year	Date	Winner	Result	Loser	Location
1980	September 21	San Diego Chargers	30–13	Denver Broncos	Denver
	November 9	Denver Broncos	20–13	San Diego Chargers	San Diego
1981	September 27	Denver Broncos	42–24	San Diego Chargers	Denver
	November 29	San Diego Chargers	34–17	Denver Broncos	San Diego
1982	September 12	San Diego Chargers	23–3	Denver Broncos	Denver
	November 28	San Diego Chargers	30–20	Denver Broncos	San Diego
1983	October 3	Denver Broncos	14–6	San Diego Chargers	Denver
	November 27	San Diego Chargers	31–7	Denver Broncos	San Diego
1984	November 11	Denver Broncos	16–13	San Diego Chargers	San Diego
	December 9	Denver Broncos	16–13	San Diego Chargers	Denver
1985	November 3	San Diego Chargers	30–10	Denver Broncos	San Diego
	November 17	Denver Broncos	30–24 (OT)	San Diego Chargers	Denver
1986	October 12	Denver Broncos	31–14	San Diego Chargers	San Diego
	November 9	San Diego Chargers	9–3	Denver Broncos	Denver
1987	November 29	Denver Broncos	31–17	San Diego Chargers	San Diego
	December 27	Denver Broncos	24–0	San Diego Chargers	Denver
1988	September 11	Denver Broncos	34–3	San Diego Chargers	Denver
	October 2	Denver Broncos	12–0	San Diego Chargers	San Diego
1989	October 8	Denver Broncos	16–10	San Diego Chargers	Denver
	December 24	San Diego Chargers	19–16	Denver Broncos	San Diego

1990s (Broncos 13–7)

Year	Date	Winner	Result	Loser	Location
1990	November 11	San Diego Chargers	19–7	Denver Broncos	San Diego
	December 16	Denver Broncos	20–10	San Diego Chargers	Denver
1991	September 22	Denver Broncos	27–19	San Diego Chargers	Denver
	December 22	Denver Broncos	17–14	San Diego Chargers	San Diego
1992	September 13	Denver Broncos	21–13	San Diego Chargers	Denver
	October 25	San Diego Chargers	24–21	Denver Broncos	San Diego
1993	September 12	Denver Broncos	34–17	San Diego Chargers	Denver
	December 5	San Diego Chargers	13–10	Denver Broncos	San Diego
1994	September 4	San Diego Chargers	37–34	Denver Broncos	Denver
	October 23	Denver Broncos	20–15	San Diego Chargers	San Diego
1995	September 24	San Diego Chargers	17–6	Denver Broncos	San Diego
	November 19	Denver Broncos	30–27	San Diego Chargers	Denver
1996	October 6	San Diego Chargers	28–17	Denver Broncos	Denver
	December 22	Denver Broncos	16–10	San Diego Chargers	San Diego
1997	November 30	Denver Broncos	38–28	San Diego Chargers	San Diego
	December 21	Denver Broncos	38–3	San Diego Chargers	Denver
1998	November 8	Denver Broncos	27–10	San Diego Chargers	Denver
	November 29	Denver Broncos	31–16	San Diego Chargers	San Diego
1999	November 7	Denver Broncos	33–17	San Diego Chargers	San Diego
	January 2, 2000	San Diego Chargers	12–6	Denver Broncos	Denver

2000s (Broncos 11–9)

Year	Date	Winner	Result	Loser	Location
2000	October 8	Denver Broncos	21–7	San Diego Chargers	San Diego
	November 19	Denver Broncos	38–37	San Diego Chargers	Denver
2001	October 21	San Diego Chargers	27–10	Denver Broncos	San Diego
	November 11	Denver Broncos	26–16	San Diego Chargers	Denver
2002	October 6	Denver Broncos	26–9	San Diego Chargers	Denver
	December 1	San Diego Chargers	30–27 (OT)	Denver Broncos	San Diego
2003	September 14	Denver Broncos	37–13	San Diego Chargers	San Diego
	November 16	Denver Broncos	37–8	San Diego Chargers	Denver
2004	September 26	Denver Broncos	23–13	San Diego Chargers	Denver
	December 5	San Diego Chargers	20–17	Denver Broncos	San Diego
2005	September 18	Denver Broncos	20–17	San Diego Chargers	Denver
	December 31 (Sat.)	Denver Broncos	23–7	San Diego Chargers	San Diego
2006	November 19	San Diego Chargers	35–27	Denver Broncos	Denver
	December 10	San Diego Chargers	48–20	Denver Broncos	San Diego
2007	October 7	San Diego Chargers	41–3	Denver Broncos	Denver
	December 24 (Mon.)	San Diego Chargers	23–3	Denver Broncos	San Diego
2008	September 14	Denver Broncos	39–38	San Diego Chargers	Denver
	December 28	San Diego Chargers	52–21	Denver Broncos	San Diego
2009	October 19 (Mon.)	Denver Broncos	34–23	San Diego Chargers	San Diego
	November 22	San Diego Chargers	32–3	Denver Broncos	Denver

2010s (Broncos 10–5)

Year	Date	Winner	Result	Loser	Location
2010	November 22 (Mon.)	San Diego Chargers	35–14	Denver Broncos	San Diego
	January 2, 2011	San Diego Chargers	33–28	Denver Broncos	Denver
2011	October 9	San Diego Chargers	29–24	Denver Broncos	Denver
	November 27	Denver Broncos	16–13 (OT)	San Diego Chargers	San Diego
2012	October 15 (Mon.)	Denver Broncos	35–24	San Diego Chargers	San Diego
	November 18	Denver Broncos	30–23	San Diego Chargers	Denver
2013	November 10	Denver Broncos	28–20	San Diego Chargers	San Diego
	December 12 (Thur.)	San Diego Chargers	27–20	Denver Broncos	Denver
	January 12, 2014	Denver Broncos	24–17	San Diego Chargers	Denver
2014	October 23 (Thur.)	Denver Broncos	35–21	San Diego Chargers	Denver
	December 14	Denver Broncos	22–10	San Diego Chargers	San Diego
2015	December 6	Denver Broncos	17–3	San Diego Chargers	San Diego
	January 3, 2016	Denver Broncos	27–20	San Diego Chargers	Denver
2016	October 13 (Thur.)	San Diego Chargers	21–13	Denver Broncos	San Diego
	October 30	Denver Broncos	27–19	San Diego Chargers	Denver

Connections between the teams

Coaches

Name	Years with Broncos	Years with Chargers
Craig Aukerman	Defensive assistant, 2010	Assistant Special Teams coach, 2013–present
Clancy Barone	Tight ends coach, 2009, 2011–14 Offensive line coach, 2010, 2015–present	Tight ends coach, 2007–08
Tim Brewster	Tight ends coach, 2005–06	Tight ends coach, 2002–04 Assistant head coach, 2004
John Fox	Head coach, 2011–14	Secondary coach, 1992–93
Alex Gibbs	Offensive line coach, 1984–87 Assistant head coach/Offensive line coach, 1995–2003 Offensive line consultant, 2013	Offensive line coach, 1990–91
Mike McCoy	Offensive coordinator, 2009–12	Head coach, 2013–present
Ron Milus	Secondary coach, 2000–02 and 2011–12	Secondary coach, 2013–present
Mike Nolan	Special teams coach, 1987–88 Linebackers coach, 1989–92 Defensive coordinator, 2009	Linebackers coach, 2015–present
Wayne Nunnely	Defensive line coach, 2009–11	Defensive line coach, 1997–2008
Dwain Painter	Offensive assistant, 1997	Quarterbacks coach, 1994–96
Wade Phillips	Defensive coordinator, 1989–92, 2015–present Head coach, 1993–94	Defensive coordinator, 2004–06

Players

Name	Position(s)	Years with Broncos	Years with Chargers
Stephen Alexander	Tight end	2005–07	2002–03
David Binn	Long snapper	2011 (one game)	1994–2010
Marco Coleman	Defensive end	2004–05	1996–98
David Diaz-Infante	Center/Guard	1996–98	1987
Dedrick Dodge	Safety	1997	1998
Orlando Franklin	Guard	2011–14	2015–present
Jacob Hester	Fullback	2012	2008–11
Quentin Jammer	Cornerback/Safety	2013	2002–12
Marlon McCree	Safety	2008	2006–07
Anthony Miller	Wide receiver	1994–96	1988–93
Shaun Phillips	Defensive end	2013	2004–12
Adrian Robinson	Linebacker	2013 (six games)	2013 (three games)
Dante Rosario	Tight end	2011	2012
Eddie Royal	Wide receiver/Return specialist	2008–11	2012–14
Neil Smith	Defensive end	1997–99	2000
Jimmy Spencer	Cornerback	2000–03[lower-alpha 2]	1998–99
Harry Swayne	Offensive tackle	1997–98	1991–96
Maa Tanuvasa	Defensive tackle	1995–2000	2001
Mitch Unrein	Defensive tackle	2011–14	2015
Louis Vasquez	Guard	2013–15	2009–12
J. D. Walton	Center	2010–13	2015–present
Wes Welker	Wide receiver/Return specialist	2013–14	2004 (one game)
Jamal Williams	Nose tackle	2010	1998–2009

Notes

1. The Chargers were known as the Los Angeles Chargers in 1960, and played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum during that season.
2. Jimmy Spencer also worked as an assistant defensive backs coach with the Broncos in addition to playing during the 2003 season.

References

1. Saccomano, Jim (October 3, 2007). "Broncos-Chargers Always Interesting". Denver Broncos. Retrieved October 3, 2007.
2. "On This Day in Broncos History: November 17". Mile High Report. November 17, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
3. "Chargers Rally for 37-34 Victory : AFC: Trailing, 24-6, three touchdown passes by Humphries and a 99-yard interception return by Richard leads San Diego over Denver.". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. September 5, 1994. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
4. "End Zone Sports Charities" (PDF).
5. Bell, Jarrett (December 11, 2006). "Super Charger: L.T. sets single-season TD mark as Chargers clinch AFC West". USA Today. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
6. "Broncos' Bailey not a fan of Rivers after talk during game". ESPN. December 27, 2007. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
7. "Cutler finds Royal for late TD, two-point play to edge Chargers". ESPN. September 14, 2008. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
8. Caldwell, Gray (December 29, 2008). "End of the Road". Denver Broncos. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
9. "Shanahan, Broncos Part Ways". Denver Broncos. December 30, 2008. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
10. Legan, Kenny (November 27, 2011). "Overtime Field Goal Caps Comeback". Denver Broncos. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
11. Caldwell, Gray (October 16, 2012). "California Comeback". Denver Broncos. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
12. "Boxscore finder: Denver Broncos vs San Diego Chargers". June 17, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2014.

External links

• Denver Broncos' official website
• The Denver Post – Complete Broncos Coverage
• Pro Football Hall of Fame – Denver Broncos team history
• Denver Broncos at Sports E-Cyclopedia.org
• San Diego Chargers' official website
• San Diego Union-Tribune – Chargers' coverage
• San Diego Chargers team history
• San Diego Chargers at Sports E-Cyclopedia.org