The Chargers are preparing for their game against the Broncos on Sunday, October 11, at 1:05 pm PT.
Here are five key things to know about Denver ahead of the Week 5 matchup:
Where things stand
The Broncos sit at 2-2 after falling 24-14 to the 49ers in Week 4. Sean Payton remains winless at SoFi Stadium as Denver's head coach, and Denver is 1-3 against Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers.
Major injury concerns
Star cornerback Pat Surtain II (ankle injury) and wide receiver Pat Bryant (ankle sprain) are expected to miss multiple weeks, with both potential candidates for injured reserve. The Broncos' other starting outside corner, Riley Moss, also left this past Sunday's game with a rib injury shortly after Surtain went down.
Struggling offensively
Under new offensive coordinator Davis Webb, the unit has struggled significantly
through the first four weeks of the season. The Broncos are averaging just 18.5 points per game (27th in the NFL). Quarterback Bo Nix hasn't been very efficient, averaging 6.1 yards per attempt. Most of Nix's passing production has come from his running backs due to pass-protection shifts and a lack of vertical separation from his wide receivers. Additionally, Denver's ground game is only averaging 3.6 yards per carry and 81.3 yards per game (29th in the NFL).
Mixed bag defensively
After being a top-tier unit last season, the defense has regressed early in the season. The Broncos rank 28th in total defense, giving up 375.0 total yards per game. Denver's biggest weakness is its run defense, which ranks 29th in the NFL (142.8 rushing yards allowed per game). Conversely, the Broncos rank 10th in pass-defense EPA and are tied for 7th-best in the league in red-zone efficiency. Denver's defense is aggressive, playing high rates of man coverage and utilizing a heavy blitz scheme, which they will lean on to try to disrupt quarterback Justin Herbert.
Historical series edge
The Broncos lead the all-time regular-season series 74-58-1. The Chargers won three of the previous four matchups prior to 2026. Denver won the last meeting on January 4, 2026, 19-3.
This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: Chargers Week 5 vs. Broncos: 5 things to know
