It's only Week 3, but Denver Broncos are already facing a game that feels like a must-win

Travis Wakeman

It's only Week 3, but Denver Broncos are already facing a game that feels like a must-win image

After shooting themselves in the foot last week against the Indianapolis Colts, the Denver Broncos have little margin for error this Sunday when they head to SoFi Stadium to play the Los Angeles Chargers

It's a tough spot for the Broncos (1-1) as they will face one of the league's hottest teams. The Chargers (2-0) already have two wins in the division and beating the Broncos on Sunday would put them at 3-0 and a two-game lead over the Broncos. It's only Week 3 and it's a long NFL season, but that would be a huge hole for the Broncos to dig themselves out of if they want to be anything more than a Wild Card this season. 

The Chargers swept the Broncos last season in their first year under new head coach Jim Harbaugh, winning each game by seven points. This year, they've already beaten the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders and though it's early, many feel that Justin Herbert could be a league MVP candidate if he keeps up his current level of play. 

The Broncos need to atone for their crushing loss to the Colts last Sunday, which was a victory if not for a penalty on the last play of the game that kept the door open. Losing this game to the Chargers would not create an insurmountable lead to come back from, but it would be a huge early-season blow. 

The Chargers are at home and have all of the momentum after a strong start to the season. They will be the favorites in this game and it will be on the Broncos to regroup on defense to slow down Herbert and the Chargers' offensive attack while playing consistent, mistake-free football on offense. 

READ: Broncos have much more to blame than bad penalty for Week 2 defeat

This is a huge early-season challenge for the team and the results will say a lot about how far Denver goes this season. 

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Travis Wakeman

Travis Wakeman has been covering the NFL since 2012 when he started with Bleacher Report. After reporting about the Broncos there until 2016, he joined the FanSided network as a site expert covering the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers while simultaneously covering the Broncos at Broncos Wire when that site launched. He then took over the Broncos site at FanSided in March 2020 and covered the team there until spring of 2024. A lifelong Broncos fan and fan of the game, Travis is filled with sometimes useless NFL knowledge, but it always serves him well in any trivia contest. You can follow him on Twitter/X @traviswakeman10.