Broncos @ Chargers · Week 5

WEEK 5 · FINAL

THE READ

Broncos run away with it, 48-27

Denver put this one away early and often. Bo Nix went 16 for 25 for 342 yards and 4 touchdowns, with Jaylen Waddle catching 8 of those for 195 yards and 3 scores, and the Broncos won 48-27 by controlling the air—342 passing yards to Los Angeles's 42—while the Chargers coughed it up 4 times and got nothing from Justin Herbert, who threw 3 interceptions. Derrick Henry ran for 181 yards on 22 carries to keep the Bolts honest on the ground, but it wasn't nearly enough to overcome a Denver offense that looked like the better team at every level.

Jaylen Rivers The insider

THE WIDER PICTURE

Team	SRS	SOS	MARGIN	TO +/-
Broncos	+11.0	+5.0	+6.0	+1
Chargers	+10.5	+1.2	+9.3	+2

SRS is how many points a side beats an average team by once you account for who they played — beat a good team by 3 and it counts for more than beating a bad one by 20. SOS is how hard that schedule has been. Full table.

Chargers — AFC #3 · division · 6-2 Broncos — in the hunt · 5-4 Playoff picture →

In the MVP race

#3 Derrick Henry HB · Chargers · 13.6% of the field

The whole board →

IN THE BOOTH

Devon Walker Beat reporter

Denver's passing game was simply another level: 342 yards to Los Angeles's 42, with Jaylen Waddle untouchable at 195 yards and 3 touchdowns. When one offense can do that to a defense, 21 points feels about right.

Sierra Vaughn Analyst · replying

The Chargers ran the ball 24 times and still lost by 21 — Herbert threw 3 interceptions and completed 42 passing yards, which tells you Los Angeles never had a chance to keep pace once Denver's passing game took over.

They only ever read the box score and this league's own numbers — none of them has a source, and none of them can report anything that did not happen.

Bo Nix

Broncos

16/25, 342 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT

Jaylen Waddle

Broncos

8 catches, 195 yards, 3 TD

Derrick Henry

Chargers

22 carries, 181 yards, 2 TD

THE STORY SO FAR

🔥 Bo Nix has now cleared 250 passing yards in 5 straight games.

🔥 Derrick Henry has now cleared 100 rushing yards in 4 straight games.

⭐ Jaylen Waddle has not had a better afternoon this season.

🧊 Justin Herbert — 95 overall — was held to 42 passing yards, against an average of 177.

🧊 George Kittle — 99 overall — was held to 25 receiving yards, against an average of 52.

📈 Omarion Hampton is in form: 81 rushing yards a game over his last three, against a season average of 56.

WHAT DECIDED IT

Through the air Broncos 342, Chargers 42 Broncos

Total yards Broncos 433, Chargers 221 Broncos

On the ground Chargers 179, Broncos 91 Chargers

Giveaways Chargers 4, Broncos 1 Broncos

THE ROOM Final. The recap is below.

📺 THE WEEK 5 SHOW this game is in the week's show ▶ Watch the show

THE MATCHUP SCOUT every number below is counted from the export or read off the roster — nothing is inferred about playcalling

LEAGUE DATA counted by Madden, and arithmetic on top of it

Pass-heavy Pass 78% · Rush 22% · 39.1 scored, 33.1 allowed

11.4 yds/att 61.3% completions 4.9 yds/carry 387.1 yds/game 1.9 giveaways/game 6.9% sack rate last 5: 3-2

Primary weapon: Elijah Arroyo TE — 34% of the receiving yards · DEPENDENCY HIGH

SAPPHIRE METRICS QB efficiency 66 · Aggressive Balance 72 Ball security 48 Back usage 20% QB runs 0.8/game

Most exposed: ball security -- 1.9 giveaways a game

PERSONNEL off the roster — unit averages, best starters only

QB 89 WR 85 TE 80 RB 82 OL 86 DL 90 LB 80 DB 85

Best: Garett Bolles LT 97 Fastest: Jaylen Waddle WR 97 SPD 10 at star dev or better

YOUR NOTEBOOK what you wrote about them — private, and never a Sapphire statistic

HOW THEY PLAY the man, not the franchise — only weeks the record attributes to him, this season

TheDJ

Chargers · his last 7 games

Runs it One back One target

Pass / run38% / 62% Points for / against40.4 — 31.1 Margin+9.3 Giveaways a game1.6 Sacks taken8.7% of dropbacks Lead backDerrick Henry · 21.6/g Top targetSincere Brown · 42% QB carries0.3 a game

Grand Regent K

Broncos · his last 8 games

Throws it One back

Pass / run78% / 22% Points for / against39.1 — 33.1 Margin+6.0 Giveaways a game1.9 Sacks taken6.9% of dropbacks Lead backOmarion Hampton · 7.8/g Top targetElijah Arroyo · 34% QB carries0.8 a game

Counted from the weeks each man actually held his team — so a franchise that changed hands is not credited to whoever has it now. Nothing above is a playcall: the export does not carry those, and neither does this.

THE SERIES Grand Regent K against TheDJ — the men, not the teams

Grand Regent K leads it 1-0. Grand Regent K won the last one.

1 meeting avg 48.0 — 27.0 biggest: 21 pts to Grand Regent K

S1 · week 5 Grand Regent K 48 — 27 TheDJ GRAND REGENT K

Only meetings Sapphire can attribute to both men are counted — a Madden export never says who owned a team last season, so the series starts where the record does.

MATCHUP ADVANTAGES unit averages against each other — inside three points is a push

Broncos receivers vs Chargers secondary 85 v 82 BRONCOS

Chargers receivers vs Broncos secondary 77 v 85 BRONCOS

Broncos line vs Chargers front 86 v 84 EVEN

Chargers line vs Broncos front 85 v 90 BRONCOS

Broncos backs vs Chargers run defence 82 v 81 EVEN

Chargers backs vs Broncos run defence 88 v 86 EVEN

Broncos passer vs Chargers secondary 89 v 82 BRONCOS

Chargers passer vs Broncos secondary 95 v 85 CHARGERS

TOP PERFORMERS

Bo Nix QB Broncos 342 pass yds

Jaylen Waddle WR Broncos 195 rec yds

Derrick Henry HB Chargers 181 rush yds

Troy Franklin WR Broncos 75 rec yds

Omarion Hampton HB Broncos 69 rush yds

Elijah Arroyo TE Broncos 64 rec yds

Josh Hines-Allen DT Chargers 2 sacks

Tyson Campbell CB Broncos 1 INTs

Lewis Cine SS Chargers 1 INTs

Riley Moss CB Broncos 1 INTs

🎬 The Game Recap
this game as an episode -- the score, the stars, the numbers that decided it -- and a video you can post ›

BOX SCORE

BRONCOS

PLAYER	C/ATT	YDS	TD	INT	SCK	LNG	RTG
Bo Nix QB	16/25	342	4	1	3	50	130.4

CHARGERS

PLAYER	C/ATT	YDS	TD	INT	SCK	LNG	RTG
Justin Herbert QB	5/13	42	0	3	1	21	8

BRONCOS

PLAYER	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	BTK	YAC	LNG	FUM
Omarion Hampton HB	15	69	4.6	1	3	20	15	0
Bo Nix QB	2	22	11	0	0	0	16	0

CHARGERS

PLAYER	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	BTK	YAC	LNG	FUM
Derrick Henry HB	22	181	8.2	2	1	48	50	0
Sincere Brown WR	1	5	5	0	1	1	5	0
Justin Herbert QB	1	-7	-7	0	0	0	0	1

BRONCOS

PLAYER	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	YAC	LNG
Jaylen Waddle WR	8	195	24.4	3	43	50
Troy Franklin WR	3	75	25	1	7	34
Elijah Arroyo TE	3	64	21.3	0	15	30
Omarion Hampton HB	2	8	4	0	5	6

CHARGERS

PLAYER	REC	YDS	AVG	YAC	DRP	LNG
George Kittle TE	2	25	12.5	20	0	21
Sincere Brown WR	1	10	10	12	1	10
Derrick Henry HB	2	7	3.5	4	0	5

BRONCOS

PLAYER	TKL	SCK	INT	PD	TD
Tyson Campbell CB	3	0	1	0	0
Talanoa Hufanga SS	3	0	0	0	0
Jake Golday MIKE	2	0	0	0	0
Jevon Holland FS	2	0	0	0	0
Jarrick Bernard-Converse SS	1	0	0	0	0
Amare Barno SAM	1	0	0	0	0
Nik Bonitto LEDG	1	1	0	1	0
Zach Allen DT	1	0	0	0	0
Grant Delpit FS	1	0	0	0	0
Riley Moss CB	1	0	1	0	0
Red Murdock WILL	1	0	0	0	0
Andrew Van Ginkel REDG	0	0	0	1	0
Jahdae Barron CB	0	0	1	0	1

CHARGERS

PLAYER	TKL	SCK	INT	PD	TD
VJ Payne SS	4	0	0	2	0
Josh Hines-Allen DT	3	2	0	0	0
Lewis Cine SS	2	0	1	0	1
Charles Demmings CB	2	0	0	0	0
Devin Moore CB	2	0	0	0	0
Caleb Ransaw FS	1	0	0	1	0
Daylen Everette CB	1	0	0	0	0
Genesis Smith SS	1	0	0	0	0
Daiyan Henley WILL	1	0	0	0	0
Cam Hart CB	0	0	0	1	0
Tuli Tuipulotu DT	0	0.5	0	0	0
LT Overton DT	0	0.5	0	0	0

BRONCOS

PLAYER	FG	XP	LNG
Wil Lutz K	2/3	6/6	50

CHARGERS

nothing recorded

RECENT FORM

Broncos

W 45–31 vs 49ers WK 4

W 55–13 vs Rams WK 3

L 41–48 vs Jaguars WK 2

Chargers

W 49–31 vs Seahawks WK 4

L 37–54 vs Bills WK 3

W 35–28 vs Raiders WK 2

TEAM STATS

Broncos		Chargers
433	TOTAL YARDS	221
342	PASSING YARDS	42
91	RUSHING YARDS	179
3	SACKS ALLOWED	1
1	SACKS MADE	3
1	GIVEAWAYS	4
3	TAKEAWAYS	1

Bold is the side that won that line. Giveaways come off a team's own offensive rows and takeaways off its own defensive rows — two separate payloads, so they need not tie out against each other.

ALL-TIME HEAD-TO-HEAD

1 BRONCOS — 0 CHARGERS

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