Who plays on Thursday Night Football? Start time, TV channel for Chargers vs. Broncos

Posted by Admin December 19, 2024 Football

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There’s another top-notch divisional matchup to kick off a new week in the NFL. The “Thursday Night Football” schedule has been terrific all season, and Week 16 brings another with a massive AFC West showdown.

The Los Angeles Chargers (8-6) will host the Denver Broncos (9-5) at SoFi Stadium to kick off Week 16. This will be the second meeting of the season between the divisional foes.

The visiting Broncos have been one of the most surprising squads to this point. Denver possesses the sixth seed in the AFC playoff picture and can secure a playoff birth with a win on Thursday night. The Chargers are third in the AFC West standings but are right on the heels of Denver and can overtake them with a win.

Denver is riding high after defeating the Indianapolis Colts 31-13 on Sunday, putting itself in a great position to secure a spot in the playoffs. The Chargers have had a disappointing second half of the season, losing three of their last four, but they look to bounce back over the final three weeks. Both teams have an opportunity on “Thursday Night Football” to prove they are contenders.

Here’s everything to know about the “Thursday Night Football” matchup for Week 16.

Who plays on Thursday Night Football tonight?

The Broncos travel to Los Angeles on Thursday night to take on the Chargers. This is the second matchup between these division rivals in the 2024 season.

How to watch Thursday Night Football

Live stream: Amazon Prime Video

“Thursday Night Football” will exclusively stream on Amazon Prime Video.

Watch “TNF” with a Prime Video subscription

What time is Chargers vs. Broncos game on ‘TNF’?

Chargers vs. Broncos prediction

Chargers 23, Broncos 20

The winner on “Thursday Night Football” will stake their claim as a legitimate challenger in the AFC: Two well-respected head coaches will be on the sidelines as Jim Harbaugh leads Los Angeles and Sean Payton for Denver.

The Chargers may appear to be the lesser team, but take a look at their recent opponents: Los Angeles has lost three games over the last month and those came against Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes and a red-hot Baker Mayfield. Despite losing those matchups, the Chargers have still allowed the fewest points per game in the NFL (17.6).

When you look at Denver’s four-game win streak, they’ve defeated Anthony Richardson, Jameis Winston (benched), Gardner Minshew and Kirk Cousins (benched). Give Denver credit for taking care of business against those opponents but those wins aren’t entirely inspiring.

The Chargers have captured lightning in a bottle in rookie Ladd McConkey. The team’s leading receiver, McConkey has been tremendous, quickly becoming Justin Herbert’s top target. Running back J.K. Dobbins remains sidelined, so Jim Harbaugh will need production from this passing game on Thursday night.

Denver enters Week 16 as the NFL’s top-ranked run-stop unit in EPA allowed per play and opponent success rate per snap. The Chargers’ pass protection has struggled, so the game should be planned around quick, short passes in Ladd’s direction.

Broncos corner Patrick Surtain II is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, but he will mainly play on the outside. Quentin Johnston runs 90.7% of his routes on the perimeter so he will see a ton of Surtain. The Broncos corner has been targeted on 10.3% of his coverage snaps this season, the lowest rate among all cornerbacks in the NFL.

According to FTN, the Chargers rank seventh in defensive DVOA entering this matchup and the Broncos offense ranks 20th in offensive DVOA. The Chargers defense has been terrific, ranking eighth best in EPA per allowed per play, so Bo Nix and the offense could struggle to move the ball down the field.

The Chargers are 4-1 as a home favorite under Jim Harbaugh. Meanwhile, the Broncos are 4-8 on the road as an underdog under Sean Payton.

Some are writing off the Chargers, but they may show they are still worthy playoff contenders entering Thursday night.

The Broncos are surging: Denver has four straight entering its Thursday tilt with the Chargers. Here’s how the Broncos can clinch a playoff spot:

Denver clinches playoff berth with:

Win or tie
Miami loss or tie + Cincinnati loss or tie + Indianapolis loss or tie

The Chargers have dropped three of their last four. Los Angeles holds the current tiebreaker over Denver and controls their own destiny heading into the stretch run of the season. Here’s how the Chargers can make the dance:

Los Angeles Chargers clinch playoff berth with:

Win + Miami loss or tie + Indianapolis loss or tie
Tie + Miami loss + Indianapolis loss + Cincinnati loss or tie

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