Broncos seek first AFC West win as Chargers try to avoid an 0-5 start

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Something's got to give when the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers meet on Sunday. Either the Broncos will earn their first AFC West win or the Chargers will extricate themselves from a crowded NFL basement.

Led by quarterback Bo Nix, the Broncos (2-2) have slumped offensively, ranking both 27th in scoring and in total yards per game.

“Certainly this isn't championship football,” said Denver coach Sean Payton, who decided this week to take back offensive play-calling duties.

Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh could say the same about his team, which has been plagued by penalties and turnovers.

One of the league's five winless teams, the Chargers are looking to avoid an 0-5 start for the first time since 2003. Meanwhile, the Broncos are seeking their first win at SoFi Stadium since 2023.

Both teams' offensive coordinators are on the spot. Davis Webb's stint calling plays for the Broncos lasted just four games.

Mike McDaniel's tenure has gotten off to a rocky start, with the Los Angeles offense averaging 16.8 points, which is 29th in the league. The Chargers have used a three-man rotation at running back for the last two games.

“It's an advantage to the Chargers with defenses having to prepare three different tackling plans for backs with various skill sets,” McDaniel said. “If you don't disperse the carries, it's very rare in this day and age that guys are available every week.”

Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey is dealing with a the same foot injury that limited him in practice last week and also in Sunday’s game at Seattle.

McDaniel was Miami's coach when the Dolphins routed Payton's Broncos 70-20 in Week 3 of the 2023 season. It was the most points scored by an NFL team in a game since 1966. The Dolphins racked up 726 yards of offense (350 rushing, 376 passing). McDaniel chose to take a knee rather than kick a late field goal that could have broken the single-game scoring record.

Payton joked that he was a having a good day until it was brought up this week.

“It’s a different offense a little bit,” he said. “That’s one of those games where we turned it over offensively, but you get burned a few times and you don’t touch the stove again.”

Denver (2-2) at Los Angeles Chargers (0-4).

When/where to watch: Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EDT, CBS.

Latest odds: Broncos by 3 1/2.

Against the spread: Broncos 2-2; Chargers 0-4.

Last week: 49ers beat Broncos 24-14; Seahawks beat Chargers 30-23.

Last meeting: Broncos beat Chargers 19-3 on Jan. 4, 2026, in Denver.

Series record: Broncos lead 73-58-1.

Broncos defense vs. Chargers offense. The Broncos are likely to be without CB Patrick Surtain II (ankle). LA is dealing with major injuries up front and had four rookie linemen, along with veteran Cole Strange, protecting QB Justin Herbert to finish out last week's loss at Seattle. Pro Bowl tackles Joe Alt (neck) and Rashawn Slater (ankle) are doubtful to play. Trevor Penning is in concussion protocol and Kayode Awosika is still not practicing. Reinforcements could come in the form of Branson Taylor and Scott Matlock, both of whom started the season on injured reserve and returned to practice this week.

— The teams are 5-5 in their last 10 meetings, with Denver losing three of the last four.

— Nix has thrown for just 204.8 yards per game and rushed for a total of 25 yards.

— Chargers OLB Khalil Mack has a sack in three consecutive games.

— Herbert has at least one interception in every game, including two last week against Seattle. He was sacked four times last week, too.

— Nix played at Oregon for two seasons after transferring from Auburn. Herbert played in Eugene for four seasons, highlighted by a 2020 Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin in his final college game.

— The Chargers had 16 penalties for 130 yards last week against Seattle.

AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton in Denver contributed to this report.

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Denver Broncos players react after stopping San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, middle right, on fourth down to turn the ball over on downs during the first half of NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Kelley L. Cox)

Los Angeles Chargers running back Kimani Vidal (28) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Kevin Ng)

Denver Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins (27) runs against San Francisco 49ers cornerback Upton Stout during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Justine Willard)

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) looks to pass the ball during the first half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed are debating for the first time Thursday as they compete for an open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan, a race that has become one of the nation's most closely watched and contentious.

For Rogers, a former congressman who was unchallenged in the Aug. 4 primary, the evening debate in Grand Rapids will be his first since facing off two years ago against then-U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin in a Senate race that the Democrat won by just under 20,000 votes.

El-Sayed, a progressive and former public health official, participated in multiple primary debates against U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens before capturing the nomination by less than a percentage point and advancing to the Nov. 3 general election.

Thursday's debate began at 7 p.m. ET and is being streamed locally on WOOD TV8, an NBC affiliate station, and nationally on NewsNation.

President Donald Trump assailed El-Sayed in a social media post late Wednesday, referring to him as “Mohammed” and saying he “goes back to the days of the Jihad.”

“He is a RADICAL Extremist, Terrorist Sympathizer,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

El-Sayed, who was born in the U.S. to Egyptian immigrant parents, responded by pointing out that the president knows his name: “He says it every day.”

“He’s not just attacking me. He’s attacking all of us,” El-Sayed wrote. “He thinks he can use my name and my faith to distract us from the suffering his policies are inflicting on us.”

El-Sayed, trailing significantly in ad spending, has crisscrossed the state for events while also sitting for interviews ranging from Fox News to The New York Times’ Ezra Klein. He has often used those appearances to go after Rogers.

“We are running to win the race. He’s running not to lose the race,” El-Sayed said of Rogers during a Tuesday interview with The Associated Press.

Rogers has held fewer public events while outside groups have spent heavily on ads.

Rogers' campaign did not make him available for an interview before the debate. He is scheduled to appear Friday in Oakland County with Sen. John Kennedy, R-La.

Rogers has broken with Trump on two major issues in recent weeks. In September, Rogers said the war with Iran needed to “end quickly.” On Wednesday, he released an ad criticizing Trump’s tariffs on Canada, saying, “We know that Canada is not our enemy” and “We need to end this tariff war now.”

El-Sayed is working to reunite a Democratic coalition that splintered during the primary and he is trying to appeal to independents and voters who previously backed Trump. He appeared Thursday with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, their first appearance since she endorsed Stevens in the primary.

Rogers faces a different balancing act as he works to turn out Republicans without Trump on the ballot and competes for moderates.

This combination photo of images taken in Detroit shows Senate nominees Republican Mike Rogers, Aug. 20, 2026, left, and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, Aug. 19, 2026. (AP Photos/Paul Sancya)

FILE - Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive candidate in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Michigan, speaks during a campaign rally at a coffee shop, Aug. 3, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

The U.S. Capitol is seen Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)