The Denver Broncos (2-2) are going on the road this week to face the Los Angeles Chargers (0-4) at SoFi Stadium. The winless Chargers will be desperate for a win against their division rival, and the Broncos won't take L.A.'s squad lightly despite their record. Here are five quick storylines to watch for going into the AFC West showdown.
1. Denver's fill-in cornerbacks and wide receivers: With at least Pat Surtain (ankle) and possibly Riley Moss (ribs) also sidelined this week, the Broncos are poised to turn to 2025 first-round draft pick Jahdae Barron and 2024 fifth-round draft pick Kris Abrams-Draine as their outside cornerbacks against the Justin Herbert-led Chargers. Meanwhile, on offense, Troy Franklin and Marvin Mims could be more involved
at wide receiver with Pat Bryant (ankle) sidelined. How well Denver copes with those injuries will have a big impact on Sunday's game and the next few weeks of the season.
2. Broncos' run game: Four weeks into the season, Denver's averaging 81.3 rushing yards per game (fourth-worst in the NFL) and 3.6 yards per carry (tied for fifth-worst). We may have seen a preview of things to come last week when RJ Harvey got more snaps and touches than J.K. Dobbins, who hasn't looked like himself this season. If the Broncos are going to get their offense back on track, the ground game needs to step up against an L.A. defense that has allowed 121.8 rushing yards per game (11th-most in the NFL).
3. Chargers' patchwork offensive line: L.A. left tackle Rashawn Slater (ankle), left guard Kayode Awosika (fibula), guard/tackle Trevor Penning (concussion) and right tackle Joe Alt (neck) are all dealing with injuries this week, and the Chargers could be missing multiple offensive line starters on Sunday. That should, in theory, create a good opportunity for Nik Bonitto to get his second sack of the season. And perhaps a third. And fourth. Herbert has been sacked 12 times through L.A.'s first four games.
4. Bo Nix's mobility: The Broncos' third-year quarterback has insisted he's healthy, but Nix has rushed for just 25 yards total through four games after averaging 20.9 rushing yards per game in 2025. Nix has explained that away by suggesting dumping the ball off to running back RJ Harvey is a better option than using his own legs. Every play presents a different scenario, but Denver's offense could surely benefit from Nix using his legs as a weapon more often like he did from 2024-2025.
5. Denver's offensive play calling: That didn't take long. New offensive coordinator Davis Webb only lasted four games as the primary play-caller before head coach Sean Payton took back that role. The Broncos' offense averaged fewer points (18.5) and yards per game (280.3) under Webb than they did last season (23.6 and 342.6), but Denver also started the season with a tough schedule, an inefficient run game and an underwhelming Nix. It's hard to say how much of the blame for those struggles falls on Webb, and it will be interesting to see if the offense actually takes a step forward this week with Payton handling the play calling.
Sunday's game (2:05 p.m. MT) will be regionally televised on CBS (view the TV broadcast map). The Broncos are considered slight road favorites against their winless rival this weekend.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: 5 storylines to watch for when Broncos face Chargers on Sunday
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