Dustin Hopkins, Chargers give Broncos the boot in overtime

INGLEWOOD — Dustin Hopkins could barely stand Monday night at SoFi Stadium.

Or run.

Or walk.

But he could kick.

Hopkins had already converted field goals of 31, 35 and 37 yards, but could he make a 39-yard field goal when it mattered most and the game was on the line? Could he give the Chargers a victory with one more kick on a sore leg in overtime against the Denver Broncos?

Hopkins’ 39-yard field goal with 2:38 left in overtime split the uprights and the Chargers seized a bruising 19-16 victory from the hard-hitting Broncos, their third consecutive win pulling them into a first-place tie with the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West with a 4-2 record.

As the ball sailed into the sky, Hopkins’ legs buckled as his Chargers teammates raced to celebrate with him. He had been sidelined by a quadriceps injury for the Chargers’ 30-28 victory over the Cleveland Browns last weekend and then was said to be questionable to continue in the second half against the Broncos on Monday because of a hamstring injury.

“The dude’s a warrior,” Chargers linebacker Drue Tranquill said of Hopkins.

Indeed, the SoFi Stadium turf was no place for the faint of heart Monday.

Or for the ill-prepared.

As it turned out, the Chargers were tough enough to survive a determined Broncos defense and smart enough and well-prepared enough to turn a special teams mistake into a critical turnover in the closing minutes of the 10-minute OT, pouncing on a muffed punt at the Broncos’ 28-yard line.

After the Chargers’ second possession in OT stalled at their own 20, JK Scott, who had handled kickoffs to ease Hopkins’ burden, sent a 48-yard punt high into the air. Denver’s Montrell Washington signaled for a fair catch, but he never handled the ball cleanly and the Chargers’ Deane Leonard recovered it.

Actually, it wasn’t as simple as that.

What would it be on a night like Monday?

First, an onrushing Ja’Sir Taylor of the Chargers shoved Broncos would-be blocker P.J. Locke into Washington, knocking Washington to the turf. Then, Leonard jumped on the loose ball when it bounced free. It’s a legal play, one that the Chargers’ special teams practice, according to Taylor and Leonard.

“That’s something we practice each week,” Taylor said. “Our special teams coach (Ryan Ficken) does a good job of putting us in situations that can turn the game. We knew they were going to put a second blocker in there … the opportunity presented itself and I made the most of it.”

Said Leonard: “I was ready for it. It’s called a dump in. It’s a drill we do.”

Somehow it seemed fitting that the game would turn on such a play.

Both teams struggled to move the ball, particularly in OT.

Both teams had moments of uncertainty.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert completed 37 of 57 passes for 238 yards with zero touchdowns and one interception. Herbert failed to throw a touchdown pass for the first time in 27 games, a streak that began on Dec. 13, 2000, with a 20-17 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson completed 15 of 28 passes for 188 yards and one touchdown, a 39-yard pass to former UCLA tight end Greg Dulcich. Denver’s Brandon McManus kicked field goals of 51, 27 and 48 yards, but the Broncos couldn’t get him into position to win it in OT.

“That was big for us,” said Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams, who had only two receptions for 17 yards one week after he had 10 catches for 134 yards against the Browns. “Defense stepped up big-time. Special teams made a play and we were able to finish it with the ball in our hands.”

Williams’ second catch of the game proved to be pivotal, a 9-yard pass from Herbert on a third-and-12 play that enabled the Chargers to move to the Broncos’ 21, giving Hopkins a better shot at making the winning field goal. Hopkins had plenty of distance on his 39-yard field goal, as it turned out.

“I would love to be able to get Mike the ball a ton more,” Herbert said of Williams, who was targeted only six times. “He deserves everything. He’s such a hard worker and a great teammate. He’s a guy that you can trust. Second and third down, he’s going to go up and get the ball.”

The Chargers played without wide receiver Keenan Allen for the fifth consecutive game because of a nagging hamstring injury. They hope he’ll be sound enough to play next Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, their final game before their bye week, but that remains to be determined.

Center Corey Linsley didn’t play after coming down with an illness last week. Will Clapp replaced him and Clapp helped to produce the Chargers’ first touchdown, a 6-yard run by Austin Ekeler. Clapp helped to push Ekeler through a tangle of would-be tacklers near the goal line.

The Chargers rallied from deficits of 10-0 after the first quarter, 13-10 at halftime and 16-13 in the fourth quarter. Hopkins countered McManus’ 48-yard field goal with 8:21 left in the fourth with a 35-yard field goal with 3:58 remaining in regulation, tying the score at 16-16 and, ultimately, sending the game to OT.

“We’ve got so much respect for him,” Herbert said of Hopkins. “We know he’s hurting. He’s tough. That’s all you can say about it. For him to go out there and play, put up with some pain like that, it’s great to see. (There was) just a lot of excitement. We got that big turnover when we needed it most. The defense came up with some big stops all day. It’s all about ending the game with the ball.

“Fortunately that was us today.”