Chargers' comeback denied as blocked field goal seals 24-21 loss to Broncos

DENVER >> Everything began rolling downhill after the drop.

Five minutes into the Los Angeles Chargers’ first NFL season, Casey Hayward was poised to score. The 5-foot-11 cornerback had gotten his hands on the ball, jumping a pass intended for Broncos running back C.J. Anderson. There was nothing in front of him except green grass.

This was not exactly a surprise. A year ago, Hayward led the league with seven interceptions, earning his first trip to the Pro Bowl. On Monday night, at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, it simply looked like more of the same.

But this time, Hayward couldn’t hang on. He bobbled the ball away, giving third-year quarterback Trevor Siemian a second chance. Twelve plays later, the former seventh-round pick out of Northwestern found the end zone, zipping a five-yard pass to Bennie Logan III.

“Casey, he makes those plays all the time,” Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said. “He just didn’t make it in the game. You only get so many opportunities like that in a ball game.”

The Broncos never trailed again. Before a raucous home crowd of 74,892, they won 24-21 — downing a talented but inconsistent visiting team that could never quite close the gap.

The Chargers capitalized on two Denver turnovers to score two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds. Rookie kicker Younghoe Koo drilled what looked like a tying 44-yard field goal, but the Broncos called a timeout just before the snap.

Koo’s second chance was partially blocked by the Broncos’ Shelby Harris and fell far short to clinch the Denver win.

After falling behind 7-0, the Chargers tied the game five seconds into the second quarter, as running back Melvin Gordon bounced over a defender on the end of an 11-yard catch and run.

Then, they went scoreless for nearly 37 minutes. The Chargers’ next five drives netted a combined 79 yards, ending with a punt, a punt, an interception, another punt, and a turnover on downs.

“We just never got in a good flow,” quarterback Philip Rivers said.

Meanwhile, the Chargers’ defense made Siemian look like a potential Pro Bowler. At the end of three quarters, the 25-year-old had completed 16 of 25 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown — good for a passer rating of 111.3.

He also ran into the end zone for the first time in his young career, juking out Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa along the way.

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By comparison, six-time Pro Bowler Rivers was treading water at 61.6. He had thrown for just 60 yards, with a touchdown to go with an interception.

There were signs of life, of course. They may be in Los Angeles now, but this is still the team that went 1-8 in one-score games last fall. With Rivers guiding the offense, there’s always a chance.

“Nobody panicked,” he said. “That usually filters down from the head coach.”

The Broncos gave them a hand in the final eight minutes, with Siemian throwing an interception and Jamaal Charles losing a fumble. Credit to safety Adrian Phillips and linebacker Korey Toomer on forcing those two plays, with Hayward recovering the loose ball.

When the Chargers finally broke their scoring drought midway through the fourth quarter, Keenan Allen incurred a taunting penalty — throwing the ball after his five-yard touchdown catch. Fifteen yards were enforced on the ensuing kickoff.

One play after the fumble, Rivers found Travis Benjamin for a 38-yard score.

With four minutes left on the game clock, Brandon McManus — who signed a new four-year deal earlier in the day — missed a 50-yarder. The Chargers were down just three points.

Four plays later, they punted.

With 42 seconds left, the Chargers found themselves three yards shy of midfield, fourth-and-1. Gordon got two yards.

A pass interference penalty on cornerback Bradley Roby — his second of the game — moved the Chargers to Denver’s 34-yard line. Fresh set of downs.

With five seconds left, Koo stepped out for a potential tying 44-yard kick. He drilled it, but it didn’t count; the Broncos had called timeout.

He tried again. It glanced off Harris’ hand. The Broncos celebrated.

“I thought he drilled the second one too,” Rivers said. “At least, that’s what it looked like to me. It was right down the middle. Because I think, get to OT, we would’ve finished it off.”