Houston

DENVER — Sometimes, the punching bag punches back.

That was the case Sunday as the Chargers, playing their backups, put up an impressive fight against the division-rival Denver Broncos, vying for the top seed in the AFC.

The Broncos won, 19-3, but both teams were smothering on defense while failing to establish anything close to an offensive rhythm.

The seventh-seeded Chargers (11-6) will play a wild-card game at second-seeded New England (14-3), which rolled over Miami, 38-10, in Sunday’s finale.

Denver (14-3) gets a week off and home-field advantage throughout the postseason. The other AFC playoff matchups feature No. 6 Buffalo (12-5) at No. 3 Jacksonville (13-4) and No. 5 Houston (12-5) at the winner of Sunday night’s game between Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

Sunday’s game was far more competitive than the rollicking crowd at Empower Field might have suspected, with the second-string Chargers defense battling them at every turn.

On an unseasonably warm afternoon, the Broncos were disturbingly cold.

The Chargers rested 14 of their starters, including quarterback Justin Herbert, who has played his way into the Most Valuable Player conversation. But they couldn’t generate much offense with backup Trey Lance at the helm.

Lance completed 20 of 44 passes for 136 yards with an interception. He led all rushers with 69 yards, however, and in the waning moments had his team in position to score the game’s only offensive touchdown.

The outcome was never really in doubt because Denver’s defense didn’t budge. But the Broncos offense never got in sync.

Chargers tight end Oronde Gadsden II catches a pass against Denver Broncos safety P.J. Locke during the first half Sunday.

(David Zalubowski / Associated Press)

Denver failed to score a touchdown on offense — their lone such score came on a pick-six — and got four field goals from Wil Lutz.

It was the lowest-scoring game for the Broncos since a 10-7 win over Las Vegas in Week 11.

The matchup was the Chargers’ Next Man Up versus a down Bo Nix, who threw for 141 yards with a lackluster 78.4 passer rating.

Each quarterback was sacked four times.

Denver came into the game with the NFL’s second-ranked defense, behind Houston, with a club-record 64 sacks already in the books. The Broncos wore throwback uniforms from 1977 — blue helmets, orange jerseys, white pants — and their defense swarmed like those “Orange Crush” days of yesteryear.

Granted, it’s now a 17-game season, but the Broncos got to 14 victories for the first time since 1998, the final season of Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway.

But these Chargers are no pushovers. They were looking to go undefeated in AFC West games, and got to 5-0 with an array of understudies, particularly along the offensive line.

This game was only huge for one Chargers regular: receiver Keenan Allen, who needed six receptions and nine yards to hit contract bonuses totaling $1 million. He achieved both.

Besides Herbert, members of the Chargers offense who didn’t play included receivers Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston, and the entire starting line.

On defense, the Chargers sat starters Derwin James, Khalil Mack, Daiyan Henley and Elijah Molden.

Denver running back RJ Harvey is tackled by Chargers defenders during the second half Sunday.

(C. Morgan Engel / Getty Images)

Basically, they had no business being in this game, and the score was 10-3 at halftime. The Broncos rolled up 81 yards on their opening drive… and a total of 32 yards the rest of the half.

With so much at stake for his team, Broncos coach Sean Payton was determined to keep precision football the focus. That included an extra padded practice in the week leading up to the game, and no crowd-distracting games on the videoboard. He wanted the crowd to be as loud and zeroed-in as possible.

At once, the Broncos were uncompromising — they were determined to win — and unconvincing.

In the late game, Henry set an NFL record with his seventh career 200-yard game as the Ravens beat the Packers 41-24 at Lambeau Field.

The Ravens (8-8) play at the Pittsburgh Steelers (9-6) in week 18 and the contest will be for the AFC North title if the Steelers lose to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

Henry set the tone on Baltimore’s opening drive, rushing in from three yards before the Packers responded with a 39-yard Malik Willis touchdown pass to Christian Watson.

The running back was in the endzone again early in the second quarter before field goals from Tyler Loop put the visitors in a strong position.

Willis scored for the Packers on a 22-yard run but Henry completed his hat-trick to put the Ravens 27-14 in front at half-time.

Green Bay responded after the break and pulled within three after Willis’ second touchdown run of the day was followed by a Brandon McManus field goal.

But the Ravens were able to pull out of sight in the fourth quarter as Tyler Huntley threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Zay Flowers and Henry added a 25-yard touchdown run for his fourth score of the night.

The Packers’ third straight loss ensures they will be the NFC’s seventh seed in the play-offs and that the Chicago Bears will win the NFC North.

What began as a blowout, ended as a down-to-the-wire finish Saturday, as the Houston Texans held off the Chargers with a 20-16 victory at SoFi Stadium.

The outcome rippled through the AFC, with the Denver Broncos clinching the AFC West, and the Indianapolis Colts eliminated from playoff contention. The Broncos are the first team other than Kansas City to win the division in the past decade.

The Chargers (11-5), who had won four in a row, made some uncharacteristic mistakes to fritter away scoring chances.

Justin Herbert, who otherwise had a tremendous and gutty game, was intercepted a yard away from the end zone in the first half.

Cameron Dicker, the most accurate kicker in NFL history, missed for the first time in his career inside of 40 yards and in the fourth quarter hooked an extra-point try, only the fourth PAT miss of his career.

Herbert completed 21 of 32 passes for 236 yards with a touchdown and interception.

Houston’s C.J. Stroud completed 16 of 28 for 244 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

The Texans (11-5), who got off to an 0-3 start this season, came into Saturday’s game riding a seven-game winning streak.

They played host to the Chargers in the first round of the playoffs last season and collected a 32-12 victory, intercepting Herbert four times.

On Saturday, Herbert kept the Chargers in the game, absorbing hits from every angle yet still throwing a one-yard touchdown pass to Oronde Gadsden II at the end of the third quarter and setting up another touchdown, a five-yard run by rookie Omarion Hampton, with 3:37 left in the fourth.

Dicker missed the extra point on the latter touchdown, meaning the Chargers couldn’t tie with a field goal and needed a touchdown.

At the end of the first half, Dicker missed a 32-yard field goal, and weird as that was, it encapsulated what kind of start it was for the Chargers.

They were flat and flat-footed from the beginning, surrendering a 75-yard touchdown pass on Houston’s first possession and a 43-yard touchdown pass on the second.

The Texans were up, 14-0, before the Chargers got their initial first down.

Herbert was sacked three times in the half, and on the first appeared to have hurt his surgically repaired left hand. At least he was wincing and favoring that hand as he walked off the field, but it didn’t sideline him.

Despite getting off to a two-touchdown lead, the Texans didn’t run away with the game.

Derwin James Jr. had an interception early in the second quarter to set up a field goal for the Chargers.

The Chargers got a field goal and moved into position for a touchdown in the second quarter when Herbert connected with Quentin Johnston for a 60-yard gain.

On the following play, however, Herbert attempted to hit Gadsden over the middle. The pass wasn’t perfectly timed, and glanced off the hands of the rookie tight end, who was near the goal line. Houston linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair made the interception at the one.

Minutes later, the Chargers would get another golden opportunity to score. Elijah Molden made an interception at the Houston 32, and his team made it into the red zone before Dicker’s failed attempt.

Lakers coach JJ Redick points and direct his team during the fourth quarter of a loss to the Rockets on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena.

(Katelyn Mulcahy / Getty Images)

When the Lakers were climbing up the Western Conference standings, improbably winning games with LeBron James and Doncic injured and celebrating Austin Reaves’ 51-point performance and ascent into stardom, the vibes were high. Players jumped off the bench to cheer for each other. They championed team bonding exercises such as slideshow presentations that introduced themselves to each other and a field trip to a Porsche driving experience. It all felt surprisingly easy, especially for a team that had several new additions.

“We had it,” Redick said wistfully Thursday. “We had it. I always say this about culture, I always say this about a good team being a functioning organism.”

Redick snapped his fingers.

“It can change like that,” he continued. “We don’t have it right now.”

All three of the Lakers’ most recent losses have been blowouts. With an average margin of defeat of 20.7 points, their total point differential has dropped to minus-15 on the season, which ranks 16th in the NBA.

Forward Jake LaRavia said in the locker room that there felt like a “disconnect” on the team, but couldn’t verbalize more about how things had turned so suddenly. The team’s seven-game winning streak at the end of November feels like a distant memory, although it should serve as a constant reminder of how a team shouldn’t let its guard down, especially when it was collecting wins off teams with losing records.

“This [has] kind of been the trending thing even when we were winning,” forward Jarred Vanderbilt said. “Obviously wins kinda shadow a lot of stuff. But it’s been the same pretty much all year of how we finished games, lose games: transition defense, rebounding and stuff like that. It’s been a trend all year.”

LeBron James, who played in his 13th game this season after missing the first 14 because of sciatica, had 18 points and five assists but declined to speak with reporters after the game, along with Marcus Smart (six points, two rebounds) and Rui Hachimura (zero points, two assists).

To further exasperate the lingering injury bug, Reaves left the game after the first half because of left calf soreness. It was the same calf that sidelined him for three games last week.

The Chargers have never won five in a row under coach Jim Harbaugh, but they have a chance to do so Saturday. It won’t be easy against this Houston Texans defense, ranked No. 1 in the NFL.

The Texans crushed the Chargers in the first round of the playoffs last season, intercepting Justin Herbert four times in a 32-12 drubbing.

Now, the Texans are riding a seven-game winning streak and haven’t dropped a game since a three-point home loss to Denver at the beginning of November.

The Chargers clinched a playoff berth this week but are looking for more than a wild-card spot. If they win Saturday, the AFC West title — and at least one more game at SoFi Stadium — is within reach. Even the AFC’s No. 1 seed is in play.

How the Texans can win: Houston’s defense can hold up against the run and has the secondary to challenge Herbert, but the Texans offense has been one of the league’s worst in the red zone. The Texans need to convert those opportunities into touchdowns. C.J. Stroud is at his best throwing between the numbers when protection holds, although he has a suspect offensive line, and the Texans will lean on short passes to compensate for a shaky running game. Forcing a turnover or two is critical. Houston thrives when it shortens the field and avoids asking the offense to sustain long drives. Field goals alone won’t be enough.

How the Chargers can win: Control the game with balance and patience. Houston’s defense is opportunistic and excellent at forcing turnovers, but it can be stressed if Herbert has time and the Chargers stay committed to the run. That won’t be easy if Kimani Vidal is out. Even modest success on the ground forces the Texans to respect play-action fakes and opens throwing lanes, particularly over the middle. Herbert’s ability to escape pressure and run, especially up the middle against man coverage, could be a hidden weapon late. If the Chargers protect the ball and finish drives instead of settling for field goals, they can keep Houston from dictating the tempo.

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Chargers won Sunday, and now they wait.

After their 34-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, the Chargers can secure a spot in the postseason with a loss or tie by Houston or Indianapolis.

The Texans play host to Las Vegas in an afternoon game, and the Colts play host to San Francisco on Monday night.

It was the seventh win in eight games for the Chargers, who are on a season-long, four-game winning streak. Sunday marked the third time they have topped 30 points this season.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert turned in another gritty performance, throwing for two touchdowns and plunging over the goal line for a third.

A pivotal play by Herbert came on third-and-seven early in the fourth quarter, he kept the ball and scrambled for 34 yards. At the end of that run, his surgically repaired left hand collided with the helmet of his Cowboys tackler. The quarterback briefly writhed on the turf, but didn’t come out of the game.

Late in the game, as rookie Omarion Hampton ran for a touchdown, Herbert joined him in the end zone and exchanged high-fives with teammates, careful to protect his casted left hand.

Although the Cowboys came into Sunday’s game eliminated from postseason contention, they still had the NFL’s No. 1 offense and a potent passing attack led by Dak Prescott. He effectively neutralized the Chargers defense in the first half, with touchdown passes in the first and second quarters.

The Chargers close the regular season with a home game Saturday against Houston and a finale at Denver.