Broncos injury news could have big impact on Chargers’ playoff hopes

The Los Angeles Chargers need to focus on the Houston Texans in Week 17 before thinking about the season finale against the Denver Broncos.

Those Chargers, after all, have won four in a row since a bye and put themselves in a spot to compete for the AFC West and some seriously strong playoff positioning in the AFC as a whole.

Next up is a shot at the Texans and a bit of revenge for that miserable playoff showdown last year. That’s a Week 17 showdown on Saturday in a special late-afternoon slot.

But as outsiders, it’s really hard to ignore specific Broncos injury news right now.

Chargers impacted by Broncos injury news

The #Broncos placed starting C Luke Wattenberg on IR today with a shoulder injury. He’s out through the first two playoff games with an injury that’s still being evaluated to determine if he can return later in the postseason.

Wattenberg signed a 4-year, $48m extension in Nov. pic.twitter.com/Nx5Aras5pT
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) December 25, 2025

The Broncos just took care of business against the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas, but the injury news coming out of Denver isn’t great.

Those Broncos just put starting center Luke Wattenberg on injured reserve. He’s a major loss, as the Broncos just invested four years and $48 million in him on a contract extension roughly one month ago as a reward for being one of the best in the NFL at his position.

That’s huge news for a Chargers defense headed up by Khalil Mack. Breakout pass-rusher Tuli Tuipulotu has 13 sacks to his name this year and Odafe Oweh, who came over from Baltimore at the trade deadline, has seven.

The Broncos are placing C Luke Wattenberg on the IR, per @mikeklis9news

A massive loss to the offensive line as Alex Forsyth will be the next man up for the Broncos#BroncosCountry pic.twitter.com/yj41MWOBxF
— SleeperBroncos (@SleeperBroncos) December 25, 2025

For popular head coaching candidate Jesse Minter, it’s a chance to coordinate some interesting rushes up the middle against a backup with Teair Tart, linebackers and otherwise. That could free up rushers on the edge like Mack to make life miserable for Bo Nix, if not at least disrupting offensive plans.

Going to Denver and winning in the finale to better playoff positioning, if not steal the AFC West, won’t be simple. But this injury news is just one of those little things that add up in the whole, making the game all the more must-see for Chargers fans.

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