Chargers running back Ryan Mathews tried to play against the Broncos despite being badly hobbled by a left ankle injury. He had to come out after rushing five times for 26 yards, including a 16-yarder that could have been a bigger play.
“Ryan probably wasn’t 40 percent,” tight end Antonio Gates told the San Diego Union-Tribune. "When I saw him break one and be one-on-one with a dude, I said, ‘No, that isn’t Ryan.’ That’s a touchdown if Ryan is even 80 percent.”