The Denver Broncos will close out their 2025 regular season on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers, only the Chargers won't have a familiar face on the field.
Jim Harbaugh announced on Monday that starting quarterback Justin Herbert would not be the team's starting quarterback against Denver in Week 18 as both teams prepare for postseason action in January.
It's an interesting strategy by the Chargers, and a difficult dilemma: Play for as high of a seed as possible or make sure you get to the postseason with the healthiest version of Justin Herbert possible. They have chosen the latter.
Broncos will not face Justin Herbert in Week 18 matchup vs. Chargers
Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh told reporters that QB Justin Herbert will not start Sunday vs. Denver.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 29, 2025
The outcome of the game isn't a foregone conclusion just because Herbert won't play, but the betting line moved from 6.5 points to 11.5 points in a hurry. If Herbert isn't playing for the Chargers, you can almost bet that a number of other key players won't be on the field, either.
This is already a very banged-up Chargers roster as it is, and they just played an extremely physical game against the Houston Texans. They are taking their chances as the potential #7 seed and road warriors with this move.
The Broncos, on the other hand, have to be ecstatic. On the one hand, this will be Denver's last game before potentially hosting the Divisional round in a couple of weeks. It will also mean that the last starting quarterback the Broncos will have faced before the playoffs is Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence on December 21.
And ultimately, that doesn't really matter. The Broncos have beaten all types of quarterbacks this season from Jake Browning and Chris Oladokun to Jordan Love and Dak Prescott. You play who's in front of you. But the opportunity to face a Chargers team without Justin Herbert is not something the Broncos will want to take lightly.
Trey Lance is the Chargers' backup quarterback, and even though he's their backup, he's still a former top 3 overall pick with outstanding speed and athletic ability. The Broncos will have to prepare for a mobile quarterback yet again, and the goal for the defense still needs to be forcing as many turnovers as possible.
The Broncos are approaching this game against the Chargers as though it's a playoff game, even if the Chargers are playing their backup quarterback. A win for Denver on Sunday will cement the #1 seed and make sure the Broncos don't have to mess around in the Wild Card round. History would tell us that getting the #1 seed is a massive advantage since the NFL went to seven playoff teams in each conference. The top seed has made it to the Super Bowl 50 percent of the time.
Either way, this is a huge development as the Broncos continue their pursuit of hosting throughout the AFC playoff race.