DENVER (AP) Phillip Rivers outplayed Peyton Manning and the San Diego Chargers sprung a 27-20 upset Thursday night over the Denver Broncos.
Rivers threw for 166 yards and two scores to Keenan Allen and kept the Chargers’ offense on the field for nearly 39 minutes.
Stuck on the sideline most of the night, Manning ended up with 289 yards and only two touchdowns. The Broncos (11-3) fell at home in the regular season for the first time in 14 games.
The Chargers (7-7) snapped Denver’s 10-game AFC West winning streak and stayed in the hunt for a playoff spot.
Denver’s smooth road to the AFC West title and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs got bumpier. The Broncos now have as many losses as Kansas City and New England. They hold the tiebreaker against the Chiefs but not the Patriots.
The Chiefs can tie the Broncos for the AFC West lead on Sunday with a win against the Oakland Raiders. Kickoff in the Black Hole will be at 3:05pm central time.
