The Denver Broncos (2-2) don’t want to become the first team to drop a game to the Los Angeles Chargers (0-4) this season, but they will need a full-team effort in order to accomplish that. Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert will be doing everything they can to prevent an 0-5 start. No team has ever started a season 0-5 and still made the playoffs.
In many ways, the Broncos could hand their division rivals an early-season knockout blow.
In order for that to happen, Bo Nix will need to step his game up and the Broncos will need to find something in the running game. Perhaps the switch back to Sean Payton as the offensive playcaller can improve that.
How do the experts see this one going? Do the Broncos send the Chargers to 0-5 or do the Chargers get their first win and drop the Broncos to 2-3?
Broncos vs. Chargers Week 5 expert picks
Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic: Broncos 21, Chargers 17
“The Los Angeles Chargers can’t fall to 0-5, can they? Yes, they can. Bo Nix will outduel Justin Herbert, and Denver will beat the Bolts at SoFi Stadium to move the Broncos to 3-2.”
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Chargers 23, Broncos 17
“The Broncos are playing consecutive road games after losing at San Francisco last week,” Prisco wrote for CBS. “The Chargers haven’t won. They will here. Desperation will be in play for the Chargers. The Broncos have offensive issues right now that will show up. Look for Los Angeles to quiet the critics for a week.”
Bill Bender, The Sporting News: Broncos 23, Chargers 20
“The Chargers are a desperate home underdog looking to turn a corner with Mike McDaniel and Jim Harbaugh,” wrote Bender for The Sporting News. “The Broncos have struggled to run the football, which means Bo Nix will have to make enough plays on the road. Los Angeles has been called for 20 penalties on the offensive line this season – most in the NFL – and faces a daunting task against the Broncos’ defensive front. The Chargers also are 0-4 ATS. We can’t quite pull the upset here.”
Bobby Kownack, NFL.com: Broncos 21, Chargers 17
“A lot of the elements that could’ve rendered this a precarious matchup for the Broncos are balanced out by the Chargers dealing with similar issues,” wrote Kownack for NFL.com. “Denver has scored only 13 first-half points through four games, requiring a pair of comebacks from double-digit deficits just to be sitting at 2-2. Unless Sean Payton taking over the play-calling from first-year offensive coordinator Davis Webb drastically changes those early-game woes, the Broncos will remain vulnerable to opponents jumping out to sizeable leads. Luckily for Denver, the Chargers haven’t proven to be capable of doing that thus far. They only cracked the 20-point mark for the first time last week. The Broncos could also be without their two top cornerbacks, Patrick Surtain II (ankle) and Riley Moss (rib), but Los Angeles will be dealing with absences at both offensive tackle spots; Joe Alt (neck) and Rashawn Slater (ankle) are both set to miss the contest. As long as Denver manufactures pressure against Justin Herbert, who has experienced a nightmare start to the campaign, the defense should be able to make life easier on its corners stepping into expanded roles. With this being a divisional matchup, the result could still end up closer than the records — and general vibes — suggest, but that’s technically another point in the Broncos’ favor. They tend to wake up and thrive in the clutch.”
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: NFL picks: Who the experts predict to win in the Broncos-Chargers game