The Chargers are now 9-6 after Thursday night's 34-27 win over the Broncos.

Here are five takeaways from Week 16.

1. Bolts on cusp of playoff berth

Was there any doubt Jim Harbaugh's Chargers would respond?

The Bolts were kicked in the teeth Sunday against Tampa Bay. And they trailed by double digits in the first half against Denver on Thursday night.

Yet the Chargers stuck with it. They dug deep. And they persevered.

"The test and the challenge was how we were going to respond," Harbaugh said. "I knew how our guys would respond. And they did. The guys went back to work and stayed the course."

He later added: "Just a special win and a special group of guys."

Joey Bosa said: "We know who we have in the locker room."

Rashawn Slater added: "It says a lot about us. We all knew after that last one that this was a big test for us as far as our ability to respond. That's what we did today. Proud of this team."

The Chargers trailed 21-13 at the half and were down by 11 points early in the third quarter before ripping off a 21-0 run that silenced any doubt about what type of guts Harbaugh's squad is made of.

The Bolts on Thursday swept Denver for the first time since the 2010 season and also denied the Broncos (9-6) a chance a to clinch a playoff spot in primetime.

As the weekend slate of Week 16 games await, the Bolts now find themselves in the No. 6 seed in the AFC playoff picture.

"We knew the implications and we knew it was a playoff-type game for us," Justin Herbert said. "It's a playoff environment against a team that is incredible and very talented. For us to be able to pull away with one there, it was awesome for us."

Khalil Mack added: "This moment was one of the ones we needed."

The Chargers have two games left in the regular season. But they can secure a playoff spot Sunday if the Dolphins and Colts both lose.

The Bolts can also clinch a playoff spot by getting their 10th win next Saturday on the road against the Patriots.

"It's huge," Joshua Palmer said. "Nine wins now … but we're not trying to focus on other teams losing. We're trying to focus on us winning."

Harbaugh added: "We've still got games to win."

If the Bolts get into the dance, chances are they will be a Wild Card squad that other teams won't want to face.

Mostly because of the grit and resolve they showed Thursday night.

Daiyan Henley summed up the Chargers mindset in a boisterous locker roon.

"It feels like the holidays," Henley said. "I'm so glad we gifted ourselves before Christmas because it would have been a bummer if we didn't get that win.

"But the feeling is 'more.' The feeling is 'hungry,'" Henley added. "This is the start of us rolling through, and not the next two games but in the playoffs and on."

2. Dicker's fair catch kick ignites Bolts

Morgan Fox probably had the same reaction you did.

"Everybody was asking the same question on the sideline: What the hell are we doing?," Fox said.

It was the fair catch kick, of course! If you need a refresher on what exactly the play is, click here.

But everyone was in agreement that Dicker's 57-yard kick undoubtedly chance the course of the game for the Bolts.

"He kicked us ahead," Henley said. "That's really how I felt ... the feeling, the electricity — we weren't even winning after that kick — but to have it going into the half … everything drove from there."

Herbert added: "For Cam to go out there and nail that kick like that, it was a huge momentum boost for us."

The fair catch kick rule is an odd one. And rare, too, as the league hadn't seen one since 2019.

But the Chargers — led by Special Teams Coordinator Ryan Ficken and assistant special teams coach Chris 'Beep' Gould — were more than ready.

"'Beep' just ran over and let me know," Dicker said. "He's like, 'We're going. We're kicking.' I was like, 'Perfect,'" Dicker explained. "Then looking over at their sideline was funny, they were confused on what was going on. We talk about it every week so it was a normal thing for us."

He later added: "Ficken, Beep, we talk about it in our Friday meetings. We go through that, we go through all the scenarios that can happen."

Harbaugh called Ficken a "situational sensei" for having the Bolts prepared. Not that the Chargers Head Coach was confused.

Harbaugh actually attempted the kick in 2013 while with the 49ers but Phil Dawson missed a 71-yard try.

"It's my favorite rule in football," Harbaugh said. "Just been trying to get one of those every game. It's the first one we've made.

"I tried one with the 49ers. I wanted it so bad that I tried a 71-yarder," Harbaugh added. "[Cam] nailed it and I thought it got the momentum back going into halftime."

Dicker's 57-yard make was the longest in NFL history when it comes to a fair catch kick.

"For me it's the same thing as a normal field goal," Dicker said. "You just don't have the operations so you just go out there and just roll."

Long snapper Josh Harris, a veteran of 205 career games, wasn't on the field for the 3-point play.

"It's a really rare situation to come up," Harris said. "But we were ready to go and Fick and Beep did a good job of coaching us up. Guys were ready and awesome for Cam to go out there and execute."

"You get points there when you're not really expecting to, if you will. It was one piece of the puzzle tonight that came together," Harris added. "Incredible collective effort to come out with the win."

Harbaugh said he hardly considered trying a 47-yard Hail Mary on the untimed down at the end of the first half.

"The other option was a Hail Mary but we've got Cameron Dicker," Harbaugh said.

Mack added: "I saw Dicker line up, I knew it was going to be good."

3. Defense clamps down on Denver

The Chargers defense was reeling early on as Denver scored touchdowns on its first three possessions, all of which went at least 70 yards.

The Broncos then managed just six total points on their next seven possessions.

"We knew the game would be in the second half," Henley said. "No matter if we were leading or if the other team is leading, we knew the second half is what would matter the most.

"You saw a team that was ready to battle and we turned it up a notch," Henley added."We knew we were capable of making those stops in the second half."

Denver scored 21 points and put up 236 yards of offense in the opening two quarters.

In the second half? Just six points and 119 yards.

"Coming out of halftime, we just wanted to tighten some things up," Harbaugh said. "Tackle better, which our guys did. That was great by [Chargers Defensive Coordinator] Jesse [Minter] staying with the plan and staying on course. And then our players doing the same thing."

A turning point in the game? Bosa's sack on Bo Nix on Denver's fourth possession, which ultimately led to a punt.

"When Joey got that sack, we just got that first feeling of that first stop," Derwin James, Jr. said. "They had scored like 21 consecutive points but when we got that first stop, it's like, 'Hey, let's do this again.'"

Nix completed 29 of 40 for 263 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. But the Bolts made him work for it by eliminating deep pass attempts.

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Nix averaged just 3.3 air yards per attempt, which is the second-lowest mark in a game this season by a quarterback with at least 20 attempts.

"We made the quarterback play quarterback," Mack said.

4. Offense thrives on 3rd downs

It was only four days ago that the Chargers left SoFi Stadium without converting a single third-down conversion.

The Bolts made it a point of emphasis this week, and thrived by going 6-of-12 on the down against Denver. And that includes a Herbert kneel down at the end of the game.

"You've got to find a way to convert on those third downs and I thought we did a great job of extending those drives and making us line up for another play," Herbert said. "That's what we've been searching for these past few games, just that consistency."

The Chargers missed their first try Thursday, but Herbert later found Palmer for 24 yards in third-and-2 that essentially set up the Bolts first score.

Stone Smartt later moved the chains and so did Herbert on a QB sneak.

That was the start of a trend with Herbert using his legs on third downs. He scrambled in the red zone and helped get a fresh set of downs when he drew a personal foul on Denver.

In the fourth quarter, Herbert scrambled for 16 yards on third-and-10 for a massive conversion. Three plays later, he flipped a pass to Hassan Haskins for a 34-yard touchdown that essentially put the game on ice.

"The greatness of Justin Herbert," Harbaugh said.

5. A handful of unsung heroes

It seemed like everybody played a part in the Bolts win over the Broncos.

But a handful of players stepped up in a big way.

There was Derius Davis, who tallied his first NFL touchdown catch early in the fourth quarter.

"Everybody loves DD," Harbaugh said. "Great play by him and a great play by Justin rolling to his left and keeping his eyes downfield. It was the perfect strike."

Herbert added: "It was an unreal play by him. We kind of had him on a bubble (screen) out of the backfield. I scrambled out saw the pressure and he just turned up field and made an incredible play."

There was Palmer, who somehow hauled in the ensuing 2-point play despite the throw being tipped.

"For him to be able to track that ball and get that ball in, that's why he does what he does," Herbert said. "He makes plays like that and I trust him … I'm not quite sure how he made it but he found a way."

Palmer added: "I was aware of where I was and was able to practice that toe drag. I was locked in."

There was Haskins, who's 34-yard catch and run gave the Bolts a late 10-point lead.

And there was Nick Niemann, who recovered Denver's last-gasp onside kick to seal the game.

"Our guys never wavered," Harbaugh said.