National Football League

Broncos at Chargers: Highlights, score and recap

Published Oct. 13, 2016 2:00 p.m. ET

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The Denver Broncos will look to get back into the win column on Thursday night, as they travel to San Diego to take on the Chargers.

The 2016 NFL season has not been kind to the San Diego Chargers, who have found ways to lose it seems like every week. Not only are they losing games, but also players, as many key pieces of their puzzle have seen their season end due to injury. Still, quarterback Philip Rivers has kept them in games, but the team comes into their Thursday Night Football tilt with the Denver Broncos at 1-4.

Last week, the Chargers were playing very well against the Oakland Raiders on the road, before blowing the game with two minutes left. Trailing 34-31, the Bolts lined up for a field goal, but a botched hold led to the Raiders getting the ball back. Oakland would go on to win by a three-point margin, leaving head coach Mike McCoy shaking his head at his team’s latest loss.

McCoy may be running out of time in San Diego, as the team has played uninspired ball this season. They could easily be 4-1 this season, but the NFL is all about wins and losses, so McCoy could be the first coach fired this season. Rivers is always going to give the Bolts a chance to win, but the season is slowly slipping away.

Denver is coming off their first loss of the season, as rookie Paxton Lynch could not move the ball in his first NFL start. The 2016 first round draft choice was playing in place of the injured Trevor Siemian, who has played magnificently to start the season. Siemian is expected back in time for the Thursday night tilt, so expect the Broncos to get back to moving the ball with some efficiency.

The Broncos will be without their head coach on Thursday, as Gary Kubiak continues to heal from a medical issue. He spent some time in the hospital with flu-like symptoms this week, but it turns out he was suffering from migraines. He expects to be back with the team on Monday.

Highlights

Highlights will be posted throughout the game.

Three Stars Prediction

1. C.J. Anderson

The Broncos should get a good effort from C.J. Anderson on Thursday night, as he will get a boost in production with Siemian back in action. Anderson is a huge part of what the Broncos do on offense, and will have easy sledding against a bad Chargers defense. Expect a couple of touchdowns out of Anderson on Thursday night in a Broncos win.

2. Philip Rivers

Sure, Denver has an incredible defense, but that has never stopped Rivers before. He continues to put up big numbers this season, and could be headed to another Pro Bowl. San Diego is missing some big parts of their offense, but the emergence of Tyrell Williams has been a nice surprise for the Bolts. Look for Rivers to rack up the yards in this one, especially is the Chargers are down late.

3. Emmanuel Sanders

Now that Siemian is back under center, which is expected for Thursday, expect Emmanuel Sanders to get back on track. Sanders seems to be the favorite target of Siemian, who has played very well this season. The wideout did not factor much in the offense with Lynch under center, but that will all change on Thursday night with Siemian back.

Odds

The Denver Broncos will head into their road game against the San Diego Chargers as 3.5 point favorites. The over/under is set for 45.5, though I believe the team should be able to go over that number on Thursday.

Next Week

The San Diego Chargers will hit the road to face the red-hot Atlanta Falcons in Week 7. Denver will have extra time to prepare for their home game against the Houston Texans, as they will welcome back former quarterback Brock Osweiler for a Monday night matchup next week.