Broncos vs. Chargers: Live updates and highlights from the NFL Week 17 game

The Broncos enter the Jarrett Stidham era after announcing that Russell Wilson has been benched. Stick here for live updates and analysis as Denver takes on the Chargers at Empower Field at Mile High.

Live updates

First-quarter updates

Injury update (2:42 p.m.): Turner-Yell’s back in the locker room now after what looked like a left knee injury. — Parker Gabriel

Another three-and-out (2:39 p.m.): Back-to-back three-and-outs for the Broncos defense. It was followed up by a nice 14-yard punt return by Tremon Smith. Denver will start at its own 34. — Joe Nguyen

Sacked (2:37 p.m.): Jonathon Cooper sacked Easton Stick. — Joe Nguyen

Injury (2:37 p.m.): Broncos safety Delarrin Turner-Yell was helped off the field by trainers after Chargers Derius Davis’ 12-yard punt return.

Broncos announced the Turner-Yell is questionable to return with a knee injury. — Ryan McFadden

Stidham’s first drive (2:33 p.m.): It wasn’t the greatest drive for the Broncos’ new starting quarterback. Stidham completed one of four passes for 5 yards. His touch has been a tad off early. — Joe Nguyen

Jarrett Stidham’s first drive as the starter was uneventful. He went 1-for-4 with 5 yards, and threw three straight incompletions before the Broncos punt. — Ryan McFadden

First-series jitters for Jarrett Stidham, perhaps. — Parker Gabriel

First completion (2:32 p.m.): Stidham connected with Samaje Perine for a 5-yard completion and a first down. — Joe Nguyen

Running start (2:30 p.m.): Denver’s first two plays with Stidham under center: a 5-yard run by Jaleel McLaughlin and a 4-yard scramble by Stidham. — Joe Nguyen

Three-and-out (2:28 p.m.): The offense may be in flux, but the defense showed up. Quick three-and-out. It’s Jarrett Stidham time. — Joe Nguyen

Coin toss (2:24 p.m.): The Broncos won the toss and — surprise, surprise — will kick it off to start the game. — Joe Nguyen

Pre-game updates

Inactives (1 p.m.): WR Jerry Jeudy is active after dealing with an illness late in the week. No big surprise there.

Broncos inactives:

• WR Courtland Sutton (concussion)
• WR Marvin Mims, Jr. (hamstring)
• OLB Baron Browning (concussion)
• DL Elijah Garcia
• C Alex Forsyth
• OLB Thomas Incoom
• S JL Skinner

— Parker Gabriel

Good morning from Empower Field! (12:05 p.m.): We’re sending 2023 out with a Broncos home game and a ton of sideshow drama. Actually, it’s really main stage drama at this point. Russell Wilson’s been benched. Jarrett Stidham’s starting. The week played out with the thunderbolt news that’s actually been brewing for a couple of months. Then Wilson said his part Friday. The optics battle has continued through Sunday morning.

Bottom line: The Broncos and Wilson are heading their separate ways after this year. There’s almost no going back from this kind of mess. In the meantime, he’s backing up Stidham and could conceivably end up in the game today. What a world. — Parker Gabriel

Scouting report (11:21 a.m.): Check out how the Broncos match up with the Chargers in Ryan McFadden’s scouting report.

Game predictions

Parker Gabriel, beat writer: Broncos 24, Chargers 23

A Jarrett Stidham win? A Jarrett Stidham win. Remember, the Chargers are starting Easton Stick and have an interim coach and general manager. Nobody in this game’s got much to lose. If Denver gets a win, maybe a bunch of other games fall their way, too. Let’s get weird.

Ryan McFadden, beat writer: Broncos 27, Chargers 20

In the battle of backup quarterbacks, Jarrett Stidham will come out on top. The Chargers have one of the worst passing defenses in the league and Stidham has a chance to put up impressive numbers in his first start with the Broncos. My crystal ball also tells me wide receiver Jerry Jeudy will have a big game.

Mark Kiszla, columnist: Chargers 20, Broncos 10

Sean Payton insists the change at quarterback is all about winning. How many players in the Denver locker room truly believe Jarrett Stidham gives the team a better chance to beat the Chargers than Russell Wilson? We’re fixing to find out.

Matt Schubert, sports editor: Broncos 23, Chargers 20

So many of my preseason predictions were off, but the one that’s felt right from the start? An 8-9 campaign for the Broncos in their first year under Sean Payton. That means splitting the next two games vs. the Chargers and at Las Vegas. It says here that this weekend’s game is the most winnable of the two — even with the quarterback change.

Broncos-Chargers NFL Week 17: Must-reads

How a particular Sean Payton-Russell Wilson sore spot highlights unbridgeable gap between coach and benched quarterback

Payton and Wilson are opposites in personality and preferred play style. Payton runs hot, believes in the efficacy of confrontation and the power of exacting play design. Wilson is Mr. Neutral, hardly ever utters a controversial word, and has made himself one of the most decorated players of the past decade in the NFL by coloring outside the lines.

Payton is free-wheeling and unafraid of putting his foot in his mouth, then loses his mind about the width of wide receiver splits, sure 6 inches make the difference between getting jammed and a 60-yard touchdown. Wilson is polished and rehearsed to an eye-glazing degree 164.5 hours per week and a purveyor of improvisation the other 3.5.

The off-field differences might have been bridgeable. Payton showed signs almost immediately that the on-field gap was not, Parker Gabriel reports. Read the full story.

Kiszla: With good riddance to Mr. Let’s Ride, who can end Broncos’ long nightmare at quarterback?

After paying mightily through their sniveling noses to end the Russell Wilson error, the Broncos will now gamble on the cheap that the Jarrett Stidham era will make it all better.

Well, good riddance to Mr. Let’s Ride. But your beloved local NFL team is right back where it has spent most of the last eight seasons, as a league laughingstock.