To start Week 16, we have an exciting AFC West showdown on TNF. Justin Herbert and the Chargers will face Bo Nix and the Broncos for the second time in 2024. The divisional rivals met in Week 6 and LA took home a 23-16 win. Only one game separates these teams in the standings and the Chargers could sweep the season series tonight.
In late November, veteran TE Hayden Hurst suffered a hip injury and was placed on the IR. After missing the last six games, Hurt will be activated off the IR and play in Week 16. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network was the first to report. With a win on Thursday night in Week 16, the Chargers would jump over the Broncos and take second place in the AFC West.
Hayden Hurst will play for the first time since Week 10
The #Chargers plan to activate TE Hayden Hurst from Injured Reserve to play in tonight’s game against the #Broncos, source says.
Hurst went on IR with a hip injury in late November, but he’s practiced fully since having his window opened this week. pic.twitter.com/eyKu2cPWgU
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 19, 2024
With a first-round pick in the 2018 NFL draft, Hayden Hurst was selected by the Ravens out of South Carolina. Hurst played the first two seasons of his career with Baltimore. Ahead of the 2020 season, the Ravens traded him to the Atlanta Falcons. He finished the final two years of his rookie deal with Atlanta and signed a one-year deal with the Bengals in 2022. Hurst played and started in 13 games for Cincinnati. Following a solid 2022 campaign with the Benagls, Hurst signed a three-year, $21 million deal with the Panthers.
However, his time in Carolina only lasted one season of that three-year deal he signed. Hurst played in nine games and made eight starts. For his seventh season in 2024, Hurst signed a one-year contract with the Chargers. So far he’s played in seven games this season and has made two starts. The 31-year-old has missed the last six games with a hip injury but is slated to make his return in Week 16. Los Angeles is at home to face their division rival, the Denver Broncos. A win for the Chargers tonight would be massive for their chances of having a higher seed in the AFC playoffs.
