Thursday Night Football showed a decisive victory for the Los Angeles Chargers, who beat the Denver Broncos 34-27 in Week 16 of the 2024 NFL season. The battle for the Wild Card from the AFC West, led by the Kansas City Chiefs, is about to be decided and tension is in the air. After the game, quarterback Bo Nix could not hide his displeasure with the final score against Justin Herbert‘s team.
With the Chargers‘ win, both Los Angeles and Denver are tied at 9-6 with two weeks left in the regular season, a final stretch that requires maximum precision. With that in mind, Nix feels a responsibility to demand more from the Broncos.
Nix completed 29 of 40 passes for 263 yards and two touchdowns, but in his role as quarterback, he was not happy with the offensive part of the team, which could not execute the plays to beat Herbert’s Chargers, a tough rival in the race for second place in the division. The 24-year-old rookie sent a strong message to his Broncos teammates.
Bo Nix’s warning to the Broncos
“No excuses, we got to move the ball better. We know this next one is the most important,” was the warning Bo Nix issued to the Broncos when speaking to the Denver Gazette. The rookie quarterback knows that there are few chances left to make the playoffs and they must take advantage of them.
Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers battle to make the postseason
Both teams are fighting for a playoff spot. At the moment, both AFC West franchises are clinching their postseason berths, but they can’t afford to slow down. With the loss to Herbert’s Chargers, the Broncos dropped to the bottom of the AFC conference standings and must beat the Cincinnati Bengals in their next game to punch a ticket to the Wild Card round. For that reason, Nix assured that this will be the most important game of the season.
The Chargers have the same record (9-6) as the Broncos and with one more win they will be assured of a berth. Herbert is in great form and has scored five touchdowns in his last three games with Los Angeles. The 26-year-old quarterback’s team will have two games against two of the tournament’s weakest opponents, the New England Patriots and the Las Vegas Raiders.