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NFL · Week 5 · 2026 Final Division game

Broncos at Chargers

Sun, 11 Oct 2026 · 20:05 UTC
Denver Broncos logo
Denver
Broncos
2-2 · L2
23
@
Los Angeles Chargers logo
Los Angeles
Chargers
0-4 · L4
17
Denver Broncos to win 67% win probability · projected 25–19 · Solid

Result & Grading

Published before kickoff, graded after. No edits, no quiet deletions.

Final score
23–17
DEN at LAC
Our pick
DEN ✓
Correct
Margin error
0.3
points from our projection
Against the spread
Covered ✓
vs line of DEN −3.5

Pre-Game Win Probabilities

From the engine's power ratings, adjusted for home field and rest, then mapped through the margin distribution. Not a blend of the market — this is our own number.

DEN 67%
LAC 33%
Projected score
25–19
DEN at LAC
Projected margin
-5.7
home perspective
Projected total
43.5
combined points
Confidence
Solid
published before kickoff

Engine vs The Line

We agree with the market on the winner. The margins may still differ.

8th Day Engine
Denver Broncos
by 5.7 points · total 43.5
Closing line
Denver Broncos
by 3.5 points · total 42.5

Matchup Facts

Venue and rest come from the schedule feed and feed directly into the model; surface and weather are context we show but don't yet model.

Venue
SoFi Stadium
Roof
Dome
Rest · DEN
7 days
Rest · LAC
7 days
QB · DEN
Bo Nix
QB · LAC
Justin Herbert

Recent Form

Last five completed games this season, most recent first.

Denver Broncos

L @ SF 14–24
W vs LAR 30–26
W vs JAX 20–13
L @ KC 10–31

Los Angeles Chargers

L @ SEA 23–30
L @ BUF 16–24
L vs LV 14–26
L vs ARI 14–26

Season Scoring

Points per game either side of the ball, 2026 season to date.

DEN · scored
18.5
per game · 4 played
DEN · allowed
23.5
per game
LAC · scored
16.8
per game · 4 played
LAC · allowed
26.5
per game

How The Model Sees It

Our rating has Denver Broncos as the stronger side by 176 rating points, which on its own is worth about 7.1 points on the scoreboard (DEN 1,587, LAC 1,411).

Home field adds 1.4 points to LAC — a measured figure from our backtest, not the traditional three, because home advantage in the modern NFL is considerably smaller than it used to be.

That lands on a projected margin of -5.7, and running that through the historical spread of actual results against projections gives Denver Broncos at 67%.

The closing line agrees on the winner, making Denver Broncos favourite by 3.5 against our 5.7.

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