The Chargers improved to 9-6 on the season with a 34-27 win over Denver on Thursday Night Football. The Bolts are now in the 6th seed in the AFC playoff race.

Here is a game recap from Week 16.

First Quarter

Justin Herbert, Derwin James, Bradley Bozeman, Rashawn Slater, Khalil Mack and Denzel Perryman were the Chargers captains. The Broncos won the toss and elected to defer. The Chargers started on offense but went three-and-out to open the game. Denver scored first with a 10-play, 72-yard touchdown drive. The Bolts got moving on their ensuing possession as Scott Matlock had a 10-yard catch before Kimani Vidal scampered for 19 yards to get into Denver territory. Herbert then hit Joshua Palmer for 24 yards on third-and-2 to get near the goal line before Gus Edwards finished off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to even the score.

Denver drove into Chargers territory as the first quarter came to a close.

Second Quarter

Denver scored a few minutes into the second quarter for its second touchdown in as many drives. But the Bolts responded with points as Herbert led thew way through the air. Herbert found Ladd McConkey for 27 yards before he hit Stone Smartt for 12 yards on third down. But the drive stalled in the red zone as Cameron Dicker hit a 37-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 14-10. Denver then scored a touchdown on its third straight possession as the Bolts fell behind 21-10. The Chargers then went three-and-out as the offense couldn't convert on third-and-3. But the Bolts defense got their first stop of the game as they forced a Denver punt after Joey Bosa sacked Bo Nix.

The Chargers moved into Broncos territory inside the 2-minute warning as Herbert hit McConkey for 21 yards. But the drive ended without points as Herbert was intercepted with less than a minute to go before halftime as the Chargers were almost in the red zone. The Chargers attempted a fair catch kick just before halftime as Dicker nailed it from 57 yards out. The Bolts trailed 21-13 at the break.

Third Quarter

Denver drove into Bolts territory to open the half but the Chargers limited the damage to a field goal. Down 24-13, the Chargers offense put together a much-needed scoring drive. The Bolts mixed the run and the pass to get into the red zone before Herbert scrambled on third down before Denver was called for a personal foul to move the chains. Edwards scored on the next play as his 5-yard touchdown run cut the deficit to 24-19. The ensuing 2-point try was no good.

The Chargers defense forced a three-and-out on Denver's ensuing possession as the Bolts started at their own 22. The Bolts picked up a first down as the third quarter came to a close.

Fourth Quarter

The Chargers moved into Broncos territory on the first play of the quarter after a Denver personal foul. The Bolts then took the lead as Herbert hit Derius Davis for a 19-yard touchdown pass, which was Davis' first touchdown catch of his career. Palmer then made a ridiculous catch on the 2-point play as the Bolts went ahead 27-24 with 12:23 left in the fourth quarter.

The teams then traded punts in the fourth quarter before Denver took over at its own 45 with 6:41 left in regulation. The Chargers then forced another punt as Bud Dupree keyed the sequence with a sack on Nix. The Bolts took over at their own 10 with 4:28 left in the fourth quarter as Herbert led the way. The quarterback scrambled for 16 yards on third-and-10 to move the chains. Herbert later avoided pressure and flipped the ball to Hassan Haskins, who took it 34 yards to the house for a 34-24 lead.

Leading 34-24, the Chargers allowed the Broncos to kick a 55-yard field goal with 57 seconds left. Denver's ensuing onside kick was recovered by Nick Niemann. The Chargers ran out the clock to get a 34-27 win and move to 9-6. The Bolts moved to the sixth seed in the AFC playoff field.