The Chargers are 11-6 after ending the 2025 regular season with a 19-3 loss in Denver.
Here's a game recap from Week 18:
Turning Point
Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh announced Monday that quarterback Justin Herbert wasn't going to play in Week 18.
It turns out he wasn't the only starter who got a break.
Derwin James, Jr. and Tuli Tuipulotu were inactive on defense as Khalil Mack and Daiyan Henley dressed but didn't see the field.
Offensively, Bradley Bozeman and Omarion Hampton were inactive while the Bolts also started a reserve offensive line that did not include Zion Johnson, Mekhi Becton or Trey Pipkins III. Trey Lance started at quarterback.
Denver, meanwhile, played all of its starters as the Broncos clinched the AFC's No. 1 seed with Sunday's win.
Give credit to the Bolts, who hung tough against a 14-win Broncos team at home.
The Chargers trailed 10-3 at halftime as Lance threw a pick 6 in the first quarter but Cameron Dicker hit a 30-yard field goal at the end of the second frame.
The Bolts then allowed a trio of second-half field goals but the offense was unable to find the end zone.
Browse through live action photos of the Bolts Week 18 matchup against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High!
TE Oronde Gadsden (86)
WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith (84)
WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith (84)
WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith (84)
WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith (84)
QB Trey Lance (5)
QB Trey Lance (5)
QB Trey Lance (5)
WR Keenan Allen (13)
LB Troy Dye (43)
DL Teair Tart (90)
LB Del'Shawn Phillips (53)
DL Da'Shawn Hand (91)
OLB Odafe Oweh (98)
S Tony Jefferson (23)
LB Marlowe Wax (58)
S Tony Jefferson (23) and LB Troy Dye (43)
LB Marlowe Wax (58)
CB Tarheeb Still (29), LB Marlowe Wax (58) and S Tony Jefferson (23)
LB Marlowe Wax (58)
DL Otito Ogbonnia (93)
S RJ Mickens (27), Head Coach Jim Harbaugh and CB Tarheeb Still (29)
DT Jamaree Caldwell (99)
TE Oronde Gadsden (86), QB Trey Lance (5) and RB Jaret Patterson (32)
QB Trey Lance (5)
RB Jaret Patterson (32) and QB Trey Lance (5)
QB Trey Lance (5)
RB Jaret Patterson (32)
RB Jaret Patterson (32)
RB Jaret Patterson (32)
C Andre James (78) and QB Trey Lance (5)
OL Austin Deculus (74)
QB Trey Lance (5)
QB Trey Lance (5)
DB Deane Leonard (33)
OLB Kyle Kennard (54)
CB Cam Hart (20)
CB Tarheeb Still (29)
CB Tarheeb Still (29)
S Tony Jefferson (23)
S Tony Jefferson (23)
DT Jamaree Caldwell (99) and DL Otito Ogbonnia (93)
LB Troy Dye (43)
LB Troy Dye (43)
LB Troy Dye (43)
LB Troy Dye (43)
LB Troy Dye (43)
DL Justin Eboigbe (92) and LB Troy Dye (43)
LB Troy Dye (43)
LB Marlowe Wax (58)
LB Del'Shawn Phillips (53) and S Tony Jefferson (23)
LB Del'Shawn Phillips (53)
LB Del'Shawn Phillips (53)
LB Del'Shawn Phillips (53)
LB Del'Shawn Phillips (53)
LB Del'Shawn Phillips (53)
LB Del'Shawn Phillips (53)
LB Del'Shawn Phillips (53), DL Justin Eboigbe (92) and S Tony Jefferson (23)
LB Marlowe Wax (58)
OLB Kyle Kennard (54)
OLB Bud Dupree (48)
S Tony Jefferson (23) and CB Tarheeb Still (29)
TE Oronde Gadsden (86)
TE Oronde Gadsden (86)
TE Oronde Gadsden (86)
TE Oronde Gadsden (86)
TE Oronde Gadsden (86)
WR Derius Davis (12)
QB Trey Lance (5)
LB Troy Dye (43)
DT Jamaree Caldwell (99)
LB Del'Shawn Phillips (53), DT Jamaree Caldwell (99) and DL Otito Ogbonnia (93)
DL Otito Ogbonnia (93), LB Del'Shawn Phillips (53) and DT Jamaree Caldwell (99)
OLB Odafe Oweh (98)
OLB Odafe Oweh (98)
LB Marlowe Wax (58)
CB Cam Hart (20)
CB Cam Hart (20)
CB Benjamin St-Juste (24)
QB Trey Lance (5)
QB Trey Lance (5)
RB Jaret Patterson (32)
QB Trey Lance (5)
WR Keenan Allen (13)
WR Keenan Allen (13)
WR Keenan Allen (13)
WR Keenan Allen (13)
QB Trey Lance (5)
RB Hassan Haskins (28)
RB Hassan Haskins (28)
RB Hassan Haskins (28)
RB Hassan Haskins (28)
WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith (84)
WR Keenan Allen (13)
Head Coach Jim Harbaugh
QB Trey Lance (5)
WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith (84)
WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith (84)
OLB Odafe Oweh (98) and CB Benjamin St-Juste (24)
QB Trey Lance (5)
QB Trey Lance (5)
S Marcus Maye (35)
LB Marlowe Wax (58)
S Tony Jefferson (23)
S Marcus Maye (35) and LB Del'Shawn Phillips (53)
S Marcus Maye (35)
QB Trey Lance (5)
QB Trey Lance (5)
QB Trey Lance (5)
WR Keenan Allen (13)
QB Trey Lance (5)
QB Trey Lance (5)
QB Trey Lance (5)
DL Justin Eboigbe (92)
DL Justin Eboigbe (92)
DL Justin Eboigbe (92)
QB Trey Lance (5)
LB Del'Shawn Phillips (53)
CB Tarheeb Still (29)
S Tony Jefferson (23)
LB Marlowe Wax (58)
LB Marlowe Wax (58)
LB Marlowe Wax (58)
LB Marlowe Wax (58)
LB Marlowe Wax (58)
LB Marlowe Wax (58)
LB Marlowe Wax (58)
LB Marlowe Wax (58)
LB Troy Dye (43)
LB Troy Dye (43)
DL Justin Eboigbe (92)
DL Justin Eboigbe (92)
QB Trey Lance (5) and RB Jaret Patterson (32)
QB Trey Lance (5)
QB Trey Lance (5)
QB Trey Lance (5)
QB Trey Lance (5)
WR Keenan Allen (13)
WR Keenan Allen (13)
QB Trey Lance (5)
QB Trey Lance (5)
QB Trey Lance (5)
QB Trey Lance (5)
DL Otito Ogbonnia (93)
DB Deane Leonard (33) and S Tony Jefferson (23)
DB Deane Leonard (33) and S Tony Jefferson (23)
OLB Odafe Oweh (98) and DL Otito Ogbonnia (93)
OLB Odafe Oweh (98)
DL Otito Ogbonnia (93) and OLB Odafe Oweh (98)
OLB Odafe Oweh (98)
RB Jaret Patterson (32)
C Andre James (78), OL Austin Deculus (74), QB Trey Lance (5) and G Branson Taylor (71)
WR Tre Harris (9)
WR Tre Harris (9)
WR Tre Harris (9)
WR Tre Harris (9)
Top Play
KeAndre Lambert-Smith said last week that he has learned plenty during his rookie season.
"I definitely take my whole rookie season as a learning curve. Some ups, some downs but it's all a learning experience," Lambert-Smith said. "I'll be ready to attack the offseason but obviously ready to finish the season strong and then into the playoffs and contribute any way I can. Just try and impact the team in any way."
The 2025 fifth-round pick made perhaps the play of the game Sunday as he moved the chains on third-and-15 with an 18-yard catch that put the Bolts offense in the red zone late in the second quarter.
Lambert-Smith won a tough battle on the play, too, as he bested All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain II to secure the catch.
Lambert-Smith, however, did sustain a hamstring injury on the play and did not return.
Key Stat
The Chargers defense, playing with almost exclusively reserve players in the first half, allowed just three points against a Denver offense that was playing all of their starters.
The Bolts allowed just 118 total yards on 30 plays, good for just 3.9 yards per play.
The Broncos hit a field goal on their opening drive that spanned 81 yards, but punted on their next three possessions that saw Denver gain just 38 yards on 15 plays.
Scoring Summary
| Scoring Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Quarter | Broncos: (5:06) 24-yard field goal from Wil Lutz | 3-0, Broncos |
| Broncos: (3:39) 45-yard interception return from Ja'Quan McMillian | 10-0, Broncos | |
| 2nd Quarter | Chargers: (0:03) 30-yard field goal from Cameron Dicker | 10-3, Broncos |
| 3rd Quarter | Broncos: (10:07) 26-yard field goal from Wil Lutz | 13-3, Broncos |
| 4th Quarter | Broncos: (11:45) 41-yard field goal from Wil Lutz | 16-3, Broncos |
| Broncos: (2:23) 23-yard field goal from Wil Lutz | 19-3, Broncos |
Up Next
The Chargers will now turn their attention to the Wild Card Round of the 2025 NFL playoffs.
The Bolts will be the No. 7 seed and will face the New England Patriots next weekend.
The Patriots finished the 2025 season with a 14-3 record and won the AFC East.
