Broncos 23–7 Chargers: Score, Stats & Recap | Week 17, 2005

Q: How did the quarterbacks play in Denver Broncos vs Los Angeles Chargers?

P. Rivers (Los Angeles Chargers), 48.0% completion, -0.35 EPA per dropback, -8.73 total passing EPA. D. Brees (Los Angeles Chargers), 47.1% completion, -0.72 EPA per dropback, -12.27 total passing EPA.

Quick answer

Winner: Denver Broncos
Final score: Denver Broncos 23–7 Los Angeles Chargers
Halftime: Denver Broncos 14–7 Los Angeles Chargers at halftime
FantasyHQ MVP: E. Parker
Top passer: Philip Rivers
Biggest EPA play: (3:37) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees sacked at LAC 1 for -8 yards (47-J.Lynch). FUMBLES (47-J.Lynch)…
Game date: 2005-12-31

Game summary

The Denver Broncos beat the Los Angeles Chargers 23–7 on 2005-12-31. E. Parker posted a game-high +5.68 total EPA in the receiving.

The highest-scoring period was Q2 with 21 combined points.

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

	Q2	Q3	Q4	—	—	T
Denver Broncos	14	2	7	0	0	23
Los Angeles Chargers	7	0	0	0	0	7

Scoring Map

Each pin marks where a score occurred on the field — yard line from play-by-play.

DENDenver Broncos

DEN 6

+1DEN 2

LAC 19

LACLos Angeles Chargers

FantasyHQ Analytics

Scoring timeline

9 scores

Chronological scoring plays — scroll to follow the game.

DENDenver Broncos
Q2 11:54TD
Travis Bell
Points+6
Yard line
LAC 6
Score
6-0
(11:54) 26-T.Bell up the middle for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
DENDenver Broncos
Q2 11:48XP
JEJ. Elam
Points+1
Yard line
LAC 2
Score
7-0
1-J.Elam extra point is GOOD, Center-83-M.Leach, Holder-16-J.Plummer.
DENDenver Broncos
Q2 3:27TD
Travis Bell
Points+6
Yard line
LAC 1
Score
13-0
(3:27) 26-T.Bell right tackle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
DENDenver Broncos
Q2 3:24XP
JEJ. Elam
Points+1
Yard line
LAC 2
Score
14-0
1-J.Elam extra point is GOOD, Center-83-M.Leach, Holder-16-J.Plummer.
LACLos Angeles Chargers
Q2 0:43TD
Laken Tomlinson
Points+6
Yard line
DEN 6
Score
14-6
(:43) 21-L.Tomlinson left end for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
LACLos Angeles Chargers
Q2 0:38XP
NKN. Kaeding
Points+1
Yard line
DEN 2
Score
14-7
10-N.Kaeding extra point is GOOD, Center-50-D.Binn, Holder-5-M.Scifres.
DENDenver Broncos
Q3 5:37Safety
Philip Rivers
Points+2
Yard line
DEN 96
Score
16-7
(5:37) 17-P.Rivers sacked at LAC 0 for -4 yards (47-J.Lynch). FUMBLES (47-J.Lynch), recovered by LAC-70-S.Olivea at LAC 0. 70-S.Olivea tackled in End Zone, SAFETY (97-D.Veal).
DENDenver Broncos
Q4 4:38TD
Travis Bell
Points+6
Yard line
LAC 19
Score
22-7
(4:38) 26-T.Bell up the middle for 19 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
DENDenver Broncos
Q4 4:32XP
JEJ. Elam
Points+1
Yard line
LAC 7
Score
23-7
1-J.Elam extra point is GOOD, Center-83-M.Leach, Holder-10-T.Sauerbrun.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA).

1E. Parker · Los Angeles Chargers · Receiving · +5.68 total EPA · 8 snaps · +0.71 EPA/play
2Laken Tomlinson · Los Angeles Chargers · Rushing · +4.29 total EPA · 22 snaps · +0.19 EPA/play
3K. McCardell · Los Angeles Chargers · Receiving · +2.61 total EPA · 6 snaps · +0.44 EPA/play
4W. Duke · Denver Broncos · Receiving · +2.38 total EPA · 1 snaps · +2.38 EPA/play
5Kisean Johnson · Denver Broncos · Receiving · +2.14 total EPA · 2 snaps · +1.07 EPA/play
6S. Alexander · Denver Broncos · Receiving · +1.35 total EPA · 1 snaps · +1.35 EPA/play
7B.Van Pelt · Denver Broncos · Rushing · +0.76 total EPA · 4 snaps · +0.19 EPA/play
8A. Lelie · Denver Broncos · Receiving · +0.72 total EPA · 2 snaps · +0.36 EPA/play

FantasyHQ Game MVP

Highest total EPA with the player's top snap and the game's biggest single play when different.

FantasyHQ Game MVP

E. Parker — LAC · Receiving

E. Parker posted the highest total EPA (+5.68) in the game, the strongest overall impact for Los Angeles Chargers. Across 8 counted snaps, they averaged +0.71 EPA per play.

E. Parker's top snap (+2.29 EPA): (1:43) 17-P.Rivers pass to 88-E.Parker to DEN 15 for 22 yards (24-C.Bailey).

Biggest single play (-5.24 EPA): D. Brees — (3:37) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees sacked at LAC 1 for -8 yards (47-J.Lynch). FUMBLES (47-J.Lynch), RECOVERED by DEN-42-S.Brandon at LAC 1. 42-S.Brandon to LAC 1 for no gain (79-M.Goff).LAC-9-D.Brees was inju

Quarterback report card

Philip Rivers led all passers in efficiency for Los Angeles Chargers, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

Philip Rivers (Los Angeles Chargers) · 25 dropbacks · 48.0% completion · -0.35 EPA/play · -8.73 total EPA
D. Brees (Los Angeles Chargers) · 17 dropbacks · 47.1% completion · -0.72 EPA/play · -12.27 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency.

Stat	Denver Broncos	Los Angeles Chargers
Offensive EPA/play	+0.009	-0.226
Offensive success rate	39.0%	35.4%
Pass EPA/play	-0.027	-0.500
Rush EPA/play	+0.022	+0.135
Defensive EPA/play	+0.226	-0.009
Defensive success rate	64.6%	61.0%

Drive & efficiency notes

Despite the final score, Denver Broncos generated the better offensive EPA per play (+0.01 vs -0.23), suggesting they moved the ball more efficiently.

Season benchmark context (offensive EPA per play):

Denver Broncos: +0.01 EPA/play (52nd percentile vs. 2005 team-game averages)
Los Angeles Chargers: -0.23 EPA/play (9th percentile vs. 2005 team-game averages)

Denver Broncos: 13 drives, +0.72 total EPA, 3 scoring drives
Los Angeles Chargers: 12 drives, -17.89 total EPA, 2 scoring drives

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal from official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

Denver Broncos — Travis Bell (Q2 11:54)
Denver Broncos — Travis Bell (Q2 3:27)
Los Angeles Chargers — Laken Tomlinson (Q2 0:43)
Denver Broncos — Travis Bell (Q4 4:38)

Quarter by quarter

Quarter-by-quarter recap from live scoring plays.

The second quarter: Denver Broncos won the period 14–7. Denver Broncos found the end zone from the LAC 6 (Q2 11:54) — (11:54) 26-T.Bell up the middle for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Denver Broncos added 1 points from the LAC 2 (Q2 11:48) — 1-J.Elam extra point is GOOD, Center-83-M.Leach, Holder-16-J.Plummer.; Denver Broncos found the end zone from the LAC 1 (Q2 3:27) — (3:27) 26-T.Bell right tackle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.; Denver Broncos added 1 points from the LAC 2 (Q2 3:24) — 1-J.Elam extra point is GOOD, Center-83-M.Leach, Holder-16-J.Plummer.; Los Angeles Chargers found the end zone from the DEN 6 (Q2 0:43) — (:43) 21-L.Tomlinson left end for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Los Angeles Chargers added 1 points from the DEN 2 (Q2 0:38) — 10-N.Kaeding extra point is GOOD, Center-50-D.Binn, Holder-5-M.Scifres..

The third quarter: Denver Broncos won the period 2–0. Denver Broncos registered a safety from the DEN 96 (Q3 5:37).

The fourth quarter: Denver Broncos won the period 7–0. Denver Broncos found the end zone from the LAC 19 (Q4 4:38) — (4:38) 26-T.Bell up the middle for 19 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Denver Broncos added 1 points from the LAC 7 (Q4 4:32) — 1-J.Elam extra point is GOOD, Center-83-M.Leach, Holder-10-T.Sauerbrun..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most.

Los Angeles Chargers (Q2 3:37) — (3:37) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees sacked at LAC 1 for -8 yards (47-J.Lynch). FUMBLES (47-J.Lynch), RECOVERED by DEN-42-S.Brandon at LAC 1. 42-S.Brandon to LAC 1 for no gain (79-M.Goff).LAC-9-D.Brees was inju [WPA -13.6% · EPA -5.24]
Los Angeles Chargers (Q3 5:37) — (5:37) 17-P.Rivers sacked at LAC 0 for -4 yards (47-J.Lynch). FUMBLES (47-J.Lynch), recovered by LAC-70-S.Olivea at LAC 0. 70-S.Olivea tackled in End Zone, SAFETY (97-D.Veal). [WPA -9.5% · EPA -1.77]
Los Angeles Chargers (Q2 0:43) — (:43) 21-L.Tomlinson left end for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +8.5% · EPA +3.86]
Denver Broncos (Q2 13:49) — (13:49) 16-J.Plummer pass to 84-W.Duke to LAC 19 for 21 yards (24-J.Wilson). [WPA +7.5% · EPA +2.38]
Los Angeles Chargers (Q1 5:56) — (5:56) 21-L.Tomlinson left guard to DEN 34 for 1 yard (52-I.Gold, 25-N.Ferguson). PENALTY on DEN-96-M.Myers, Defensive Holding, 6 yards, enforced at DEN 35 - No Play. [WPA +7.5% · EPA +2.32]

Impact plays

Highest EPA snaps that flipped field position.

Los Angeles Chargers (Q2 3:37) — (3:37) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees sacked at LAC 1 for -8 yards (47-J.Lynch). FUMBLES (47-J.Lynch), RECOVERED by DEN-42-S.Brandon at LAC 1. 42-S.Brandon to LAC 1 for no gain (79-M.Goff).LAC-9-D.Brees was inju [WPA -13.6% · EPA -5.24]
Los Angeles Chargers (Q4 5:01) — (5:01) (Shotgun) 17-P.Rivers pass intended for 85-A.Gates INTERCEPTED by 40-C.Cox (42-S.Brandon) at DEN 18. 40-C.Cox to LAC 34 for 48 yards (17-P.Rivers). PENALTY on LAC-17-P.Rivers, Face Mask (15 Yar [WPA -3.0% · EPA -4.33]
Los Angeles Chargers (Q2 0:43) — (:43) 21-L.Tomlinson left end for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +8.5% · EPA +3.86]
Denver Broncos (Q4 12:57) — (12:57) 1-J.Elam 28 yard field goal is No Good, Wide Right, Center-83-M.Leach, Holder-16-J.Plummer. [WPA -7.2% · EPA -3.52]

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with play-by-play context.

Denver Broncos TD (+6) — Q2 11:54 · LAC 6 · Score 6-0
(11:54) 26-T.Bell up the middle for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
Denver Broncos XP (+1) — Q2 11:48 · LAC 2 · Score 7-0
1-J.Elam extra point is GOOD, Center-83-M.Leach, Holder-16-J.Plummer.
Denver Broncos TD (+6) — Q2 3:27 · LAC 1 · Score 13-0
(3:27) 26-T.Bell right tackle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
Denver Broncos XP (+1) — Q2 3:24 · LAC 2 · Score 14-0
1-J.Elam extra point is GOOD, Center-83-M.Leach, Holder-16-J.Plummer.
Los Angeles Chargers TD (+6) — Q2 0:43 · DEN 6 · Score 14-6
(:43) 21-L.Tomlinson left end for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
Los Angeles Chargers XP (+1) — Q2 0:38 · DEN 2 · Score 14-7
10-N.Kaeding extra point is GOOD, Center-50-D.Binn, Holder-5-M.Scifres.
Denver Broncos Safety (+2) — Q3 5:37 · DEN 96 · Score 16-7
(5:37) 17-P.Rivers sacked at LAC 0 for -4 yards (47-J.Lynch). FUMBLES (47-J.Lynch), recovered by LAC-70-S.Olivea at LAC 0. 70-S.Olivea tackled in End Zone, SAFETY (97-D.Veal).
Denver Broncos TD (+6) — Q4 4:38 · LAC 19 · Score 22-7
(4:38) 26-T.Bell up the middle for 19 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
Denver Broncos XP (+1) — Q4 4:32 · LAC 7 · Score 23-7
1-J.Elam extra point is GOOD, Center-83-M.Leach, Holder-10-T.Sauerbrun.

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research and follow-up box score digging.

Denver Broncos earned the result — use the box score for snap-level context.
E. Parker (Los Angeles Chargers) led total EPA — start here for highlight and prop research.

Frequently asked questions

Who won Denver Broncos vs Los Angeles Chargers on 2005-12-31?

The Denver Broncos beat the Los Angeles Chargers 23-7 in Week 17, 2005.

What was the score by quarter in Denver Broncos vs Los Angeles Chargers?

Q2: Denver Broncos 14, Los Angeles Chargers 7; Q3: Denver Broncos 2, Los Angeles Chargers 0; Q4: Denver Broncos 7, Los Angeles Chargers 0; Final: Denver Broncos 23, Los Angeles Chargers 7.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals in Denver Broncos vs Los Angeles Chargers?

Denver Broncos touchdown — T. Bell (Q2 11:54) Denver Broncos touchdown — T. Bell (Q2 3:27) Los Angeles Chargers touchdown — L. Tomlinson (Q2 0:43) Denver Broncos touchdown — T. Bell (Q4 4:38) Extra points followed each touchdown unless noted in the play-by-play.

How did the quarterbacks play in Denver Broncos vs Los Angeles Chargers?

Philip Rivers (Los Angeles Chargers), 48.0% completion, -0.35 EPA per dropback, -8.73 total passing EPA. D. Brees (Los Angeles Chargers), 47.1% completion, -0.72 EPA per dropback, -12.27 total passing EPA.

Who was FantasyHQ's player of the game in Denver Broncos vs Los Angeles Chargers?

E. Parker (Los Angeles Chargers) was FantasyHQ's Game MVP with +5.68 total EPA on Receiving plays. across 8 snaps. Their top snap (+2.29 EPA): (1:43) 17-P.Rivers pass to 88-E.Parker to DEN 15 for 22 yards (24-C.Bailey)..

Season records after this game

Denver Broncos

Entered 12-3 Now 13-3 W

Los Angeles Chargers

Entered 9-6 Now 9-7 L

Denver Broncos vs. Los Angeles Chargers: 2005 Week 17 Recap

Top fantasy performers · Broncos

Top fantasy performers · Chargers

Quick answer

Game summary