INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — It was more of the same for the struggling Los Angeles Chargers’ offense coming out of their bye week.
Same play-caller, having stuck with embattled coordinator Mike McDaniel. Same inability to score touchdowns, a streak that now stretches to nine quarters. Same issues with turnovers, with Justin Herbert throwing two interceptions. And the same result, a 24-9 loss to the Rams on Sunday which leaves them winless through seven games.
“It’s really tough,” Herbert said. “I feel for the defense, I feel for the team, and nobody feels worse.”
Coach Jim Harbaugh said McDaniel will continue to oversee the offense, which came in as the lowest-scoring unit in the NFL at 15 points per game and only meaningfully threatened to reach the end zone on a Hail Mary throw from Herbert at the end of the first half.
Wide receiver Quentin Johnston nearly came out of a pile of Rams defenders with the ball, only for safety Kamren Kinchens to jar it loose, sending it to Ladd McConkey to catch at the 1. Kinchens and cornerback Jaylen Watson alertly came together to tackle McConkey before he could reach the goal line.
Those are the kind of breaks the Chargers haven’t been able to capitalize on during Harbaugh’s worst season as a head coach in college or the NFL, leaving him to preach a message of togetherness.
“We’re the only ones that have the opportunity to change it, fix it, and that’s what we’re gonna do, go back to work,” he said. “Not been in this position that many times either here, you know, as a coach. But we got to be dedicated ourselves to getting this turned. That’s where we’re at.”
In addition to standing by McDaniel, Harbaugh also expressed his support for Herbert, who went 24 of 32 for 257 yards and now leads the league with 10 interceptions.
The second pick was particularly shocking, with Herbert seemingly not seeing Trent McDuffie as the underneath defender in coverage on tight end Charlie Kolar and throwing it right to the Rams’ star cornerback.
This is Herbert’s fifth season with at least 10 interceptions in his seven years with the Chargers, and it seems likely he will blow past his career high of 15 picks in 17 games during the 2021 campaign.
“Yeah, I mean, that’s part of the game, and it’s the unfortunate part of where we’re at. And I’d love to have played better and made better decisions, but, you know, I haven’t, and that’s something I have to work on and continue to get better at,” he said.
Herbert has also fumbled seven times and lost two of them. That number should be three, but Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald couldn’t pick up a strip-sack along the sideline.
There were other all-too-familiar problems around the Chargers’ touted quarterback, who took two more sacks and four more hits.
The ground game accounted for just 2.6 yards per carry, finishing with 64 yards on 25 carries. Omarion Hampton, the 2025 first-round pick who was supposed to become Harbaugh’s latest bell-cow tailback, had 20 yards on nine attempts and didn’t make much of an impact as a receiver.
Frequently forced into third-and-long, the offense was 6 of 15 (40%) on those money downs.
On their one trip inside the red zone, the Chargers had to settle for a field goal by Cameron Dicker.
Offensive tackle Joe Alt summed up the performance as “frustrating.”
“You want to come up with a win,” he said. “As a player, as a unit of the offensive line, we got to be better. I mean, just the scoreboard reflects that, and that’s all I really can say. We got to be better. We got to score more points. We got to play together more. We got to get more passing yards, more rushing yards. It’s just how it’s got to go.”
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Los Angeles Rams safety Quentin Lake (37) runs past Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) after intercepting a pass during the first half of an NFL football game in Inglewood, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, left, talks to quarterback Justin Herbert and head coach Jim Harbaugh during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams in Inglewood, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) fumbles as he is sacked by Los Angeles Rams linebacker Wesley Bailey (47) during the second half of an NFL football game in Inglewood, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
DENVER (AP) — The one thing the Denver Broncos do really well is win close games.
They stretched their winning streak in one-score games to 15 over the last two seasons by rallying past the Kansas City Chiefs 28-24 on Sunday and dropping Patrick Mahomes to 80-3 in his career when leading by double digits in the fourth quarter.
“Obviously a big win,” Denver coach Sean Payton said after his 200th career victory. “And I'm proud of the grit.”
Malcolm Roach sacked Mahomes on fourth-and-goal on the final play, preserving Denver's win that vaulted Broncos (6-2) into first place in the AFC West, a half-game ahead of Kansas City (5-2), which lost its second straight.
The Broncos trailed 24-13 early in the fourth quarter, but Bo Nix threw a 2-yard TD pass to tight end Nate Adkins and found Jaylen Waddle for the 2-point conversion to pull Denver within 24-21.
After Kansas City's scuffling kicker Harrison Butker missed wide right on a 54-yard field goal attempt in a steady rain with 2 1/2 minutes remaining — one play after Alex Singleton sacked Mahomes for a 6-yard loss — the Broncos needed just two plays and 35 seconds to take the lead.
Nix hit rookie running back Jonah Coleman for a 51-yard gain on first down. Coleman ran for a 5-yard touchdown on the next snap.
“It's always fun to throw it short and they run for a long time,” Nix said after recording his 15th career game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime and surpassing Dak Prescott (14 games) for the most such drives by a QB in his first three seasons since the 1970 merger.
After the Broncos pushed ahead, Mahomes had just under 2 minutes to mount his own comeback.
A 44-yard kickoff return by Emmett Johnson, who scored on a 73-yard reception in the first half, and a 32-yard catch by Travis Kelce, along with several big runs by Kenneth Walker III, helped the Chiefs get inside the Denver 5-yard line with 35 seconds left.
Patrick Surtain II stopped Walker at the 1 after a 3-yard run on first down.
Mahomes was pressured by Que Robinson and threw incomplete on second down.
On third down, third-string safety J.L. Skinner stuffed Walker for no gain.
On fourth-and-goal from the 1, Mahomes threw what he thought was the game-winner to Rashee Rice over the middle, but the play was wiped out by a false start penalty on right tackle Jaylon Moore.
“If you could tangibly point to a crowd win,” that was it, Payton said. “The false start, I mean that's like just from a play-caller standpoint, 1 to the 6 and you're in another ZIP code with plays. That was huge.”
Said Mahomes: “I mean, at the end of the day, you got to go with whatever’s called. But a lot of times in those big moments, the little stuff doesn’t get called like that.”
On the do-over, Mahomes took the snap with 4 seconds left but Roach broke through the line alongside Nik Bonitto and smothered Mahomes for a 6-yard loss.
“They have a good defensive line,” Mahomes said. “I wish I had done a better job of getting the ball out, give somebody a chance.”
Nix was just as nervous as the 76,831 fans in attendance watching Denver's goal line stand.
“The fourth down was another crazy play by our defense,” Nix said. “And I'm very thankful for the illegal shift that allowed them to snap it again. And it's just an incredible stand by them. They just battled and battled on that drive and came out on top.”
Mahomes was also kicking himself for taking the sack before Butker's miss.
“I can’t put him in that position,” Mahomes said.
The Broncos went three-and-out on all three of their drives in the third quarter, but Nix directed touchdown drives on both of Denver's fourth-quarter possessions.
Nix finished 20 of 32 for 222 yards with two TDs and no interceptions. Mahomes was 30 of 41 for 321 yards, three TDs and no interceptions after struggling last week in a loss to Seattle.
Walker ran for 69 yards on 21 carries after rumbling for 173 yards against Denver in the opener, when the Broncos missed two dozen tackles in a 31-10 loss that left them smarting.
“It was personal,” Bonitto said. “It wasn’t that we lost, it was how we lost.’’
Chiefs: DL Peter Woods (neck) got hurt in the first quarter.
Broncos: CB Kris Abrams-Draine (ankle) left in the second quarter and S Brandon Jones (hamstring) was ruled out at halftime.
Chiefs: Host the New York Jets next Sunday.
Broncos: Visit the Carolina Panthers next Sunday, where they'll hope to improve on their third-down conversion rate. Over their last four games, all wins, the Broncos are just 10 for 48 on third down.
See AP’s full NFL coverage here
Denver Broncos' Pat Surtain II breaks up a pass intended for Kansas City Chiefs' Xavier Worthy during the second half of an NFL football game in Denver, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
Denver Broncos' Courtland Sutton catches a pass in front of Kansas City Chiefs' Chamarri Conner during the first half of an NFL football game in Denver, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
Denver Broncos' Alex Singleton sacks Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes during the second half of an NFL football game in Denver, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
Kansas City Chiefs' Noah Gray celebrates his touchdown catch with Patrick Mahomes during the second half of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos in Denver, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
Denver Broncos' Alex Singleton sacks Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes during the second half of an NFL football game in Denver, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
