DENVER – – Justin Herbert directed a clock-chewing, methodical Los Angeles Chargers offense that took advantage of the departure of star cornerback Patrick Surtain II to beat the Denver Broncos 23-16 on Sunday.

Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh missed the start of the game while being assessed by medical personnel, but returned to the sideline in the first quarter and coached the remainder of the game. He told a CBS sideline reporter that he was dealing with a heart arrhythmia.

The Chargers (3-2) spent much of the afternoon looking like they would hand the Broncos (3-3) their first home shutout in their 65-year history. But after two turnovers and five punts, Bo Nix sent the Broncos on a 95-yard scoring drive, capped by his 2-yard pass to fellow Oregon alum Troy Franklin early in the fourth quarter.

Then Courtland Sutton made a dazzling 15-yard touchdown with 5:22 to go, but a failed two-point attempt left the deficit in double digits. The Broncos reached the Chargers 32 on their next possession and Wil Lutz’s 40-yard field goal on first down made it 23-16 with 59 seconds left.

However, their offside game backfired and the Chargers won their first win over Denver in two years and their first against Sean Payton in seven tries.

The game featured the NFL’s only two defenses that ranked in the top-10 in points, yards, yards rushing and yards passing allowed. And with Chargers star Joey Bosa missing his second straight game due to a nagging hip problem, the matchup appeared to tilt in favor of the Broncos, who hadn’t lost since Week 2.

Surtain’s concussion after Denver’s first defensive snap completely changed that calculus as the Broncos saw their three-game winning streak snapped after falling behind 23-0 entering the fourth quarter.

Surtain was hurt when he broke up Herbert’s pass to Ladd McConkey. He will likely miss the next game as well, as it is Thursday night in New Orleans.

Without Surtain, the Broncos couldn’t stop the Chargers, who had two field goals and two touchdowns before kneeling to end the first half. They dominated possession time in the first half with 21 minutes, 13 seconds to Denver’s 8:47.

The Broncos’ only push into Chargers territory in the first half ended in a lost fumble by running back Javonte Williams.

Rookie running back Kimami Vidal’s first NFL touch was a 38-yard catch-and-run touchdown, making the score 10-0. JK Dobbins also scored on a four-yard touchdown run with a minute left in the second quarter. Cameron Dicker kicked field goals from 20 and 33 yards.

The final field goal capped a 20-play, 76-yard masterpiece that lasted 10:29 seconds and came one play after Herbert picked up his fumble, forced by Jonathon Cooper on a sack.

Surtain’s absence on Sunday showed his value to the Broncos, as did his performance a week earlier, when his two-interception performance against Las Vegas earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Surtain’s injury came one play after Chargers safety Elijah Molden picked off Nix’s first pass and returned it 25 yards to the Denver 31. That set up a field goal while Harbaugh was examined by the Chargers’ medical staff.

Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter took over until Harbaugh returned to the sideline midway through the first quarter as the Chargers headed for a touchdown.

Dobbins ran for 96 yards on 25 carries for Los Angeles.

Injuries

Chargers: G/T Trey Pickens (shoulder), TE Hayden Hurst (groin) and DB Deane Leonard (hamstring) left in the second quarter, while CB Kristian Fulton (hamstring) was out in the third.

Broncos: RT Alex Palczewski (ankle) was inactive and TE Greg Dulcich was a healthy scratch for the second straight week.

Next

Chargers: Visit the Arizona Cardinals on Monday evening, October 21.

Broncos: Visit the Saints on Thursday night in Payton’s highly anticipated return to New Orleans.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl