Broncos vs. Chargers: Score and Twitter Reaction for Thursday Night Football

The San Diego Chargers built an early lead and held on for a 21-13 victory over the Denver Broncos at Qualcomm Stadium, but they made their fans sweat Thursday.

San Diego was ahead 21-3 in the final quarter but allowed a touchdown and a field goal to make it 21-13. Denver recovered an onside kick and marched to the Chargers' 45-yard line before San Diego batted down a last-second Hail Mary attempt.

Chris Chase of Fox Sports noted the Chargers entered Thursday's game with three blown fourth-quarter leads on the season, two of which were by 13 or more points.

They could have added to that tally if they hadn't been bailed out by a crucial holding penalty after C.J. Anderson made it to the end zone with Denver trailing 21-10 with less than five minutes left in the game.

It was called back, and the Broncos turned it over two plays later.

It was the first road loss of the season for the defending Super Bowl champions, who dropped to 4-2.

ESPN Stats & Info pointed out it was a rare triumph against a winning opponent for the 2-4 Chargers:

San Diego allowed just one touchdown and limited Anderson to 37 yards on the ground. Quarterback Trevor Siemian threw for 230 yards and a touchdown, but no Broncos pass-catcher tallied more than 40 receiving yards. Denver also committed 12 penalties for 103 yards, which cost it a chance to earn a dramatic win.

The Chargers got 94 rushing yards from Melvin Gordon and 178 passing yards and a touchdown from Philip Rivers. Tight end Hunter Henry led the aerial assault with 83 receiving yards and a score.

San Diego wasted little time seizing momentum. It marched 75 yards in seven minutes on the game's first drive, and Rivers capped it off with a touchdown pass to Henry. It marked the third straight game with a score for the rookie, who Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus suggested "had easily the best hands of any tight end in this draft class."

San Diego took a 10-0 advantage on its next drive, and Rivers surpassed Dan Fouts' franchise record of 43,040 career passing yards.

The Chargers reacted to the achievement:

Denver caught a break later in the second quarter, when it recovered a punt that deflected off returner Travis Benjamin at San Diego's 11-yard line. It didn't move the ball on the ensuing drive, but Brandon McManus connected on a short field goal to trim the deficit to 10-3 before halftime.

Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post pointed out things could have been worse for the Broncos after they finished the first half with just 60 total yards:

The Broncos punted again on their first drive of the second half, and they had more punts (four) than points (three) or first downs (two) at that point.

The Chargers defense was stifling thanks to consistent pressure up front, and rookie Joey Bosa was presenting a problem for Denver's line.

Robert Mays of The Ringer praised his technique on a third-down rush:

Gordon broke free on San Diego's next possession with a 48-yard run to set up another Josh Lambo field goal, which put the Chargers ahead by two scores.

The Chargers defense continued to control the game when Korey Toomer stripped Jordan Taylor and recovered the fumble. Denver didn't allow a first down after the turnover, but Lambo added another field goal.

Despite the 13-point lead, the Chargers were missing opportunities to put the game away, as Troy Renck of Denver7 described:

The pattern of San Diego's defense dominating and its offense failing to score touchdowns continued. Denver punted again, and Rivers led the Chargers into the red zone before settling for a field goal. The Chargers still had a commanding 19-3 lead late in the third quarter, but the team's inability to bury an opponent was a familiar theme for the crowd at Qualcomm.

It appeared as though San Diego's defense had ended any comeback hopes for Denver when it notched a safety thanks to a holding penalty on Max Garcia in the end zone. 

"Garcia has been overmatched by Bosa on multiple occasions tonight," Renck noted via Twitter.

However, Kenny Wiggins muffed the ensuing short kick and gave the ball back to the Broncos. Siemian then completed a 51-yard drive with a touchdown pass to Bennie Fowler.

Will Brinson of CBS Sports didn't seem confident in San Diego head coach Mike McCoy's ability to protect the lead:

San Diego then went three-and-out after a sack, and Brad Evans of Yahoo Sports reacted to the sudden change in the game:

It appeared to be a full-on disaster for the Chargers when Anderson ran into the end zone after bouncing off a tackle, but it was called back for holding.

Siemian was then sacked, and Jatavis Brown jarred the ball loose from Demaryius Thomas on the next play.

Pro Football Focus noted fumbles were nothing new for Thomas:

The Broncos offense got another chance, putting McManus in position to convert a field goal with 27 seconds remaining, and Denver recovered the ensuing onside kick in relatively easy fashion, as the team captured:

However, San Diego's defense held strong and clinched the victory.

What's Next?

Things don't get much easier for the Chargers. Their next two games are on the road against the Atlanta Falcons and Broncos. The Falcons are 4-1 and appear to be one of the best teams in the league, while Denver is still a strong opponent despite Thursday's result. 

The Broncos will return home for their next two games against the Houston Texans and Chargers. Houston is 0-2 away from home and should give Denver a chance to bounce back from Thursday's loss.

It will need to as it tries to keep pace with the 4-1 Oakland Raiders in the AFC West.

Postgame Reaction

Rivers discussed setting the San Diego record for passing yards, per the Chargers on Twitter: "This one was definitely special... I think even making it more special was wearing the uniforms we had."

He also praised Henry for the impressive performance, per the Chargers on Twitter: "Gosh, he's going to be a heck of a player... I'm so excited he's here."

McCoy talked about the win, per Ricky Henne of the Chargers’ official website: "What a performance...I've been telling you guys forever. I love this football team. They mean the world to me."

On the Denver side, Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post noted offensive tackle Russell Okung was taken to the hospital after the game because he was experiencing concussion-like symptoms.

Siemian mentioned the penalties as one reason for the loss, per Jhabvala: "We had a lot of self-inflicted wounds. Those are tough to overcome."

Interim coach Joe DeCamillis took a glass-half-full approach, per Renck: "We have to do a better job of getting started. We hung in there. We can get this corrected."

If they don’t, there will be a new Super Bowl champion this season.