Denver Broncos vs Los Angeles Chargers Picks and Prediction for Sunday October 11 2026
The Denver Broncos will travel to beautiful SoFi Stadium to take on the Los Angeles Chargers. Kickoff is scheduled for Sunday October 11, 2026 at 4:05 pm EST. Tune into CBS to see if the Chargers can win their first game of the season. Oddsmakers have made the Broncos a 3.5 point favorite and the total is sitting at 41.5 . Be sure to check out our free NFL picks for more NFL predictions throughout the season.
Denver Trying to Find Last Season's Form
Last season, the Denver Broncos won 14 regular season games and captured their first AFC West Division title since 2015. The Broncos (2-2) were eliminated by New England in the AFC Conference Championship Game and are trying to get their offense back on track. Last week, Denver managed just 82 rushing yards on 22 carries during a 24-14 road loss against San Francisco.
Denver trailed by 11 points in the fourth quarter, but made things close on a Jaylen Waddle 13-yard touchdown reception. Bo Nix threw the ball 42 times, but was limited to 214 yards through the air. RB R.J. Harvey caught ten passes for 68 yards in a losing effort for the Broncos.
Denver was a top ten offense a season ago, but currently rank in the bottom five and have seen their scoring average dip five points to 18.5. The Broncos rank 11th in red zone efficiency and convert 63 percent of their trips into touchdowns. Denver is no longer elite on the defensive side of the ball and are giving up 23.5 points per game.
Los Angeles Dealing with Turnover Woes
The Los Angeles Chargers won 22 games the previous two seasons, but are winless through four weeks. The Chargers (0-4) hired former Miami head coach Mike McDaniel to lead the offense, but the marriage is not working. Los Angeles has injuries on the offensive line and failed to score more than 16 points in their first three losses. On Sunday, Los Angeles trailed by 17 points in the first half during a 30-23 road loss against Seattle.
All-Pro QB Justin Herbert was under duress all day and was sacked four times. Herbert threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to Kimani Vidal and was picked off twice. Los Angeles RB Omarion Hampton carried nine times for 45 yards and a score. The Chargers gained 301 yards, but lost the turnover battle by a 4-1 margin.
Los Angeles is tied with New England for the most giveaways in the league. The Chargers have thrown six interceptions and lost four fumbles. Those issues are a major reason that the offensive is averaging 16.8 points per game. The Chargers are allowing more than 120 rushing yards per game and have surrendered 106 points through four games.
Denver Broncos vs Los Angeles Chargers Picks and Prediction
Pick: Denver Broncos -3.5
Denver CB Pat Surtain II is dealing with a right ankle injury and has been ruled out of this contest. Los Angeles forced five turnovers and could not cover on the road against Buffalo. The Chargers followed it up with a lifeless effort against Seattle and lucked into a late push. Take the Broncos to win by at least a touchdown and cover.
Pick: Over 42.5
The roof will be closed, so conditions will be ideal for this game. The Broncos are not generating as much havoc on defense and now they are without Surtain to clean up things in the secondary. The Chargers are struggling to get stops and their offense is due for some positive turnover regression. This could become a shootout, so the over is the play.
Final Score Prediction: Denver Broncos 27, Los Angeles Chargers 20