Never question Dustin Hopkins' toughness. The Chargers kicker left the game with a hamstring injury on his first kick of the night, an extra point after Austin Eckel's touchdown.
While the team considered him questionable to return in the first half, it was reasonable to believe he had an off night.
The Chargers probably didn't realize at the time how much they needed their kicker Monday. Hopkins quickly re-entered the action, sneaking a 37-yard field goal down the left straight and sending the ball through the goal post before collapsing in pain.
His field goal tied the game at 10 and was the first of four key kicks. Each required Hopkins to fight through the pain and each put three points on the board.
The last of the four kicks -- all attempted between 31 and 39 yards -- was the most important, lifting the Chargers to a 19-16 overtime victory that seemed destined for a tie until a missed punt gave Los Angeles a chance to win. .
When it was all over, Hopkins told ESPN's Lisa Salters that he felt a pop on the PAT that hurt him. But thanks to his resilience and the warmth of the Hyperice heating wrap, Hopkins was able to fight through the pain to lead the Chargers to victory.
Dirty laundry, everywhere. The Broncos had established a reputation as a sloppy, disorganized team before Monday night, so it was no surprise to see them commit 10 receptions for 151 yards.
What was surprising, however, was how closely the Chargers matched the Broncos on offense. There were 147 combined penalty yards in the first half Monday,
The most between the Steelers and Buccaneers (156) in any first half after Week 3 of the 2018 season, according to NFL Research.