Chargers Fall to 0-5 After 23-17 Loss to Broncos

The Los Angeles Chargers fell to 0-5 after losing 23-17 to the Denver Broncos on Sunday, surrendering a 17-10 fourth-quarter lead. Head coach Jim Harbaugh accepted responsibility for a fourth-down decision that preceded Denver’s tying touchdown drive. The Chargers had possession on their own 41-yard line and faced fourth-and-one in the fourth quarter. They attempted to gain the yard rather than punt, but quarterback Justin Herbert did not convert. Denver took over and tied the game with a touchdown pass from Bo Nix to Courtland Sutton, according to the game account. Harbaugh said the decision was wrong and that he took full responsibility for it. He said he could not recall being more angry with himself, adding that the choice had shifted momentum. The Chargers did not score in the fourth quarter, while Denver went on to win by six points. CBS analyst Pete Prisco sharply criticized Harbaugh’s call, arguing that it was the reason the Chargers lost. That was Prisco’s assessment; Harbaugh himself acknowledged the decision was mistaken, but his remarks do not establish that it alone determined the result. The defeat was Los Angeles’ fifth in a row to open the season.