2004 · Week 3 · Division

Final

Chargers

San Diego

QB Drew Brees

13·23

Broncos

Denver

QB Jake Plummer

Invesco Field at Mile High · outdoors · grass · 73°F · wind 7mph

Closing spread

DEN -9.5

Total

46

Model margin

+4.4est.

DEN perspective

Push chance

None

half-point line — cannot push

Win probability

  • Broncos
  • Chargers

How each play moved the game.

Broncos winsChargers wins

Matchup

Where the edges are

Season-long league percentiles for both sides, mirrored. The saturated side of a lopsided row holds the edge.

The rivalry

DEN lead 32–23 since 1999

Meetings average 43.9 points. DEN are 25-25-5 ATS in the series.

Previous meetings
SeasonMatchupScoreWinner
2025 · W18LAC @ DEN319DEN
2025 · W3DEN @ LAC2023CHARGERS
2024 · W16DEN @ LAC2734CHARGERS
2024 · W6LAC @ DEN2316CHARGERS
2023 · W17LAC @ DEN916DEN
2023 · W14DEN @ LAC247DEN
2022 · W18LAC @ DEN2831DEN
2022 · W6DEN @ LAC1619CHARGERS

Box score

Individual performances

Broncos

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
Jake Plummer25/3629420

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
Garrison Hearst3134.30
Reuben Droughns2105.00
Quentin Griffin1270.60
Ashley Lelie263.00
Jake Plummer210.50

Where this game is likely to land

  • Model
  • Smooth (normal)
  • Betting line

Probability of each final margin. Football scoring clusters — the spikes at 3 and 7 are real, and a smooth model misses them.

line +9.56.6%7.5%3.2%4.9%3.2%2.9%

Positive margins favour Broncos; negative favour Chargers.

Half-point at risk

3.20%

outcomes that flip if the line moves 0.5

Model home win

60.8%

Expected total

45.1est.

Model

Where the number comes from

Each component is additive, in points of expected margin.

  • Team ratings (opponent-adjusted EPA)+1.84
  • Home-field advantage+2.56
  • Quarterback adjustment0.00
  • Rest differential0.00
  • Expected margin+4.41

One or both ratings are carry-over priors — no games have been played this season yet, so treat this as a starting assumption rather than a read.