Live Commentary: San Diego Chargers 17-24 Denver Broncos - as it happened

Good evening! It's around half an hour until kickoff in the final game of the divisional round of the playoffs, with the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers playing for a place in next week's AFC championship game. Let's take a look at the inactives...

BRONCOS INACTIVES: Dysert, Hillman, Carter, Kuper, Dreessen, Wolfe, Fua

CHARGERS INACTIVES: Clary, Lissemore, Sorensem, Hawkins, Taylor, Cromarie, Wiggins

There are a few notable absentees for the home side. Running back Ronnie Hillman has mainly played a backup role behind Knowshon Moreno and Montee Ball, but will be missed, as will defensive end Derek Wolfe, who was ruled out earlier this week. The Broncos are also missing highly-rated linebacker Von Miller, who tore his ACL at the end of the regular season, but wide receiver Wes Welker will play for the first time in over a month after overcoming concussion symptoms.

The Chargers have most of their regular players healthy. There had been some concern over starting running back Ryan Mathews, but he will play despite missing practice throughout the week with an ankle sprain.

Although this is the first playoff meeting between these two sides, they are already well familiar with each other. The AFC West rivals took one win each in their two regular season meetings this year, with the Chargers claiming the only win at Mile High Stadium during the 2013 season.

The Broncos will be keen to avoid a repeat of their divisional round performance from last season. The top seeds hosted another wildcard a year ago, the Baltimore Ravens, and were beaten in overtime.

If you believe in history repeating itself, the Chargers could be considered a favourite for the Super Bowl. The Philadelphia Eagles' first home opponents in the regular season have gone on to lift the Lombardi Trophy for the last four seasons. This year, it was San Diego who made the first visit to Lincoln Financial Field.

With Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning breaking all sorts of records this season, it will no surprise to learn that the Broncos have a much stronger offense statistically heading into this game. Denver have averaged over 60 yards more per game. The Chargers will have to work on stopping the hosts' passing game if they're to be successful this evening.

PREDICTION! Although the Chargers won in Denver just a few weeks ago, they'll have to be even sharper against a rested Broncos side coming off their bye week. Particularly with Manning having one of his favourite weapons, Wes Welker, back from injury, I think the Broncos will have too much for the Chargers' defense this evening. I'm going for a Broncos win by a touchdown.

The Chargers take a quiet moment in the locker room before heading out to the field.

Together we're one. #sdvsden pic.twitter.com/M9oAsnP9yj

— San Diego Chargers (@chargers) January 12, 2014

The players are on the field with the Chargers receiving the opening kickoff.

KICKOFF! Here we go then, Matt Prater kicks the ball downfield for a touchback, so Rivers and the Rivers offense start their opening drive from the 20-yard line.

Ryan Mathews shows no signs of the lingering ankle sprain as he picks up a quick five yards with his opening carry of the game. Another gain of five from Ladarius Green gives the Chargers first down.

SACK! Jeremy Mincey gets to Rivers before he can get the ball away, bringing him down for a loss of seven yards on second down, leaving them facing third and 17.

The Chargers get a lucky break as Woodhead tries to run for the first down but is tackles short. However, there was a flag on the play for a facemask foul by Jackson, giving the Chargers an automatic first down again. That's a costly error by the home side.

SACK! Rivers is knocked down again, this time by former teammate Shaun Phillips for a loss of six. On third down, the quarterback fails to find his target, so after a mixed first drive, it will be a punt for the visitors.

Peyton Manning comes into the game for the first time, but quickly finds himself facing first down. However, the quarterback moves well to give himself time to find an open receiver, and finds tight end Julius Thomas for a gain of 16. The Broncos get another first down from the next play, with Eric Decker hauling in a 13-yard catch.

Caldwell keep the ball moving, getting free downfield to give the Broncos a 15-yard gain. Manning looks deep for Welker on the next play looking for the touchdown, but was almost intercepted.

Montee Ball takes over from Moreno at running back and runs for eight to move the home side to the San Diego 29. Prater set an NFL record with his 64-yard field goal earlier in the season, so the Broncos are well inside field goal range if they can't find the end zone.

Ball has another carry to move the team into the red zone, before a Demaryius Thomas reception leaves them six yards short of the touchdown on second down.

TOUCHDOWN? Manning finds Demaryius Thomas on the edge of the end zone. The referees signal it as a touchdown, but as it wasn't 100% whether or not he was across the line, there will be a review before the Broncos get the points.

After a quick review, Thomas's touchdown is confirmed. From just two yards out, it's not the most difficult pass Manning has made all season, but his accuracy is key, as the wide receiver was covered by two Chargers players. Prater comes on for the extra point, and makes no mistake.

It's a quick three and out for the Chargers. Woodhead has a couple of short carries to leave the visitors needing seven from third down, but his center fails to spot his signal for the snap, and they're moved back five yards for delay of game. He comes up short looking for the 12 yards needed to keep the play alive, so it's another Chargers punt.

Wes Welker has a seven yard gain from the first play of the Broncos' drive, leaving the home side just short of midfield.

FUMBLE! Julius Thomas makes a catch for the Broncos, but the ball comes out as he's tackled, and it's recovered by San Diego. The play is being reviewed, but I don't think there's enough to overturn it.

There taking a little while with this review. There are three options, they could leave it with a fumble recovered by the Chargers, or call it a completion, or an incompletion.

FUMBLE CONFIRMED! After a couple of minutes to look at the replays, the officials decide to leave it with the on-field call, so the Chargers will take over on their own 44-yard line.

The Chargers make a good start following the turnover, gaining 19 from two carries before Woodhead takes over rushing duties to move the visitors to the Denver 30.

SACK! Rivers is sacked for a loss of five, so Nick Novak will come on for a field goal attempt, looking to equal his career-long of 53 yards.

FIELD GOAL MISSED! The Chargers kicker slips on his run up, so his field goal attempt ends up well off target. That will be a disappointing end to the drive following the turnover by the defense and a 16-yard run from Mathews.

Moreno moves the Broncos across midfield with an 11-yard rush before Montee Ball picks up another first down, moving the home side into the red zone for the second time in this game.

Moreno comes back on and smashes his way through the Chargers defense for a first down eight yards out. He gets another carry on the next play and moves it to the three-yard line, but will have to wait for another shot at the end zone as Chargers linebacker Manti Te'o has picked up an injury and needs help making his way to the sideline.

Manning target Demaryius Thomas at the back of the end zone, but the wide receiver is being too closely covered and can't make the catch.

Manning gets his second touchdown pass of the game to double the Broncos' lead. Manning gets himself free just inside the end zone, out-pacing Stuckey, to give himself room to comfortably take the three-yard pass. Once again, Prater easily adds the extra point.

The wind is starting to cause problems in Denver. Prater has to have a teammate hold the ball on the tee for the kickoff, but it goes deep for a touchback regardless. Rivers targets Woodhead with his first two plays of the drive for short gain, before Green gets the necessary distance for a first down.

With Rivers passing into the strong winds, the Chargers come up short, so the visitors will punt the ball back to the Broncos.

Eric Decker makes a brilliant punt return, at one point looking like he might take it all the way, but he's stopped at the 30-yard line. There could be a bigger problem for the Chargers though, as their punter, Scifres was injured while making a tackle.

TWO MINUTE WARNING! Demaryius Thomas and Moreno have a couple of short gains, leaving the Broncos just short of the first down as the two-minute warning comes around.

Moreno gets the distance for the first down and more to move the Broncos to the four-yard line. They'll be looking for a third touchdown before heading into the break.

Manning looks for Decker at the back of the end zone, but he throws it too hard for the wide receiver to hold on to.

INTERCEPTED! Manning tries to find Decker again, but he tips it away with his fingers before Butler snatches it for the first red zone interception of the season against the Broncos.

Rivers comes back onto the field briefly, but takes a knee to bring a close to the first half. Although they're 14 points behind, the Chargers will be pleased with their finish to the half, having prevented the Broncos from adding what looked like an almost certain third touchdown.

The Chargers really struggled to get their passing game going in the first two quarters, with Rivers completing just 20 passing yards so far. Ryan Mathews and Danny Woodhead have given the visitors hope with the running game though.

The Broncos offense has looked as strong as it has all season, with Manning completing 11 passes from 16 attempts for 100 yards and two touchdowns. The interception at the end of the first half is a rare mistake from the quarterback, and he'll surely be looking to make amends at the start of the third quarter.

Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt has reportedly had three head coach interviews with other teams in the build up to this game. With their first-half performance, it looks like that may have been a costly distraction in the run up to this matchup.

Just a reminder, with the way the seeding system works, a Broncos win would see the Patriots heading to Denver next Sunday for the championship game, while the Chargers would have to travel to Foxborough if they were to overturn the deficit in the second half.

KICKOFF! Nick Novak kicks the ball to Trindon Holiday to get the second half underway.

INJURY UPDATE! The Chargers have confirmed that Manti Te'o will not return to the game after being diagnosed with a concussion.

Demaryius Thomas takes a nine-yard catch before Moreno picks up three on the run for a first down, leaving the Broncos just short of midfield.

Demaryius Thomas keeps the chains moving, before Julius Thomas takes an eight-yard reception. This is looking like a strong start to the third quarter from the Broncos.

From the 26-yard line, Manning tries a deep pass from Decker, but the wide receiver stumbles just short of the end zone and can't hold on to the catch. At the very least, there should be a field goal attempt to come for the hosts.

A false start from Julius Thomas leaves the Broncos facing third and 11. Manning tries to rescue the situation with another deep pass, this time aiming for Welker, but the wide receiver loses control of the ball on his way down. Before the field goal attempt though, Gilchrist will need some attention from the Chargers trainers after tangling with Welker.

At first it looked like Matt Prater was going to make just his second miss of the season, as his 45-yard effort drifted to the right, but the strong winds at Mile High just brought it back enough to pass inside the right upright, extending the home side's advantage.

No team has been shutout in the playoffs since 2005, when the Carolina Panthers beat the New York Giants 23-0. The Chargers have twice been eliminated from the pre-season without scoring a point, most recently doing so in 1992 in a 31-0 defeat to the Miami Dolphins.

Ryan Mathews, who has struggled with a sprained ankle during the week, appears to be sitting out this drive. He was one of the Chargers' most dangerous players in the first half, so that won't help their cause. Tight end Antonio Gates takes his first reception of the game, leaving the Chargers needing three yards on third down.

Rivers connects with Keenan Allen for the first down, but is almost intercepted by Ihenacho while looking for the rookie wide receiver again. The Chargers need 18 on third down, but Ladarius Green can't haul in the catch, despite Rivers making an accurate pass. Scifres, who appeared to pick up an injury in the first half, will come back on to punt.

Manning opens the drive with a short pass to Decker, but the wide receiver has space to run after the catch and picks up a gain of 19, before a Montee Ball run moves the Broncos into San Diego territory.

Peyton Manning's play calling has really been causing problems for the Chargers' defensive line, as five have now been penalised for neutral zone infractions.

Manning hands the ball off to Moreno for a couple of short rushes, but the running back comes up short of the field goal, so Prater will come on for another long field goal attempts.

MISSED FIELD GOAL! The Broncos kicker only just made his last effort, with high winds continuing to swirl around the stadium, and this time he can't keep his 47-yard attempt on target. That's just Prater's second miss of the season.

INJURY UPDATE! Broncos cornerback Chris Harris has knee and ankle injuries, and the team have listed his return as questionable.

Brown tries to run the ball for the Chargers, but can only get back to the line of scrimmage, and that should be about it for the third quarter.

With just one pass, Rivers picks up more yards than he had in the first half, connecting with Eddie Royal at the Denver 27. This looks like the best chance the Chargers have had of scoring so far in this game.

Ryan Mathews continues to stay on the sidelines, and now Danny Woodhead appears to have picked up as he gingerly makes his way to the sideline after a gain of six.

Phillip Rivers finally finds some rhythm on the passing game to give the Chargers a chance in this fourth quarter. A high, accurate pass sails high through the air before dropping to Keenan Allen for a 16-yard touchdown before Nick Novak kicks the extra point. If the visitors can quickly get the ball back from the Broncos, they have a chance of overturning the home side's lead, but they'll have to be flawless.

NO TOUCHDOWN! Trindon Holliday picks out the sideline on the kickoff return, and breaks off several tackles to make it all the way to the end zone. However, an illegal block by Bolden means that the play is chalked off. Still, it was an impressive display of pace by the return man.

Moreno spills a short pass from the first play of the drive, but manages to gain three with a run on his next attempt. Manning tries a deep pass for Welker on third down, but a pass interference call against Gilchrist automatically gives the hosts a first down.

There's a moment of farce as the officials can't decide exactly where the penalty was committed, so don't know where to spot the ball. After a couple of adjustments, play eventually resumes from the Denver 45.

Manning needs two yards on third down, but manages to find Julius Thomas for a 17-yard gain, moving the Broncos to the San Diego 30.

Gilchrist collides with one of his teammates while trying to bring down Welker. They manage to stop the wide receiver for a six-yard gain, but Gilchrist has to be guided to the sidline.

Knowshon Moreno has three carries in the row to move the Broncos from the San Diego 24 into the end zone. The offensive line earned their money on the final play, opening up a gap for the running back to burst into the end zone from three yards out. Prater kicks the extra point to restore the 17-point advantage.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie makes a couple of big plays for the Broncos to quickly bring up fourth down. The Chargers leave their offense on the field, needing five to keep the drive alive.

What a pass from Rivers! The Chargers quarterback launches it high for Allen, who runs his route perfectly for a gain of 49. Rivers keeps the ball himself on the next play and scrambles for five, leaving the Chargers just short of the red zone.

Is there still time for the Chargers comeback? Well if they can find another drive like that then there's surely enough time. Allen follows up his 49-yard catch with an athletic 16-yard effort, just extending the ball over the line before being knocked out of bounds.

ONSIDE KICK! Nick Novak gives the Chargers every chance of another scoring drive with an onside kick, which is recovered by the visitors to bring their offense straight back out. It's a superb effort by the Chargers' special teams players.

SACK! It's a poor start to the drive for Rivers, as he's sacked for a loss of four, but quickly recovers, finding Allen again with a 18-yard throw downfield.

Keenan Allen is on fire! The quarterback manages to get the ball to him again to move the Chargers into the red zone. The San Diego offense has been lacklustre for much of the game, but this is some finish!

On third and five, Rivers looks for the touchdown pass, but his throw intended for Gates is too wide, and the tight end can't make the catch in bounds. Novak will attempt the field goal.

Having slipped in his first attempt at the posts, Novak gets his footing perfect this time around to comfortably make the 30-yard effort, making this a one-score game.

This tweet, courtesy of the Chargers' feed, shows the skill involved in Keenan Allen's second touchdown. While mid-air, the rookie wide receiver just managed to outstretch his arms to break the line before Huff dragged him out of bounds.

.@Keenan13Allen dives for the goal line and gets in for the 16-yard touchdown. #SDvsDEN pic.twitter.com/ZOkWzhv3fw — San Diego Chargers (@chargers) January 13, 2014

On second and 17, Manning tries a deep pass towards Demaryius Thomas, but the wide receiver couldn't get low enough to scoop the ball up. However, on third down, tight end Julius Thomas breaks out wide to get into space before showing impressive footwork to get the first down.

The tight end continues to frustrate the Chargers' defense, shaking off his cover yet again for another Broncos first down.

TWO MINUTE WARNING: Manning just has time to get the ball away to Demaryius Thomas for three yards before the two minute warning timeout. The home side will be looking to run down as much time as possible when play resumes, having been in a similar position last year in their overtime loss to the Ravens.

Moreno runs the ball to the San Diego 37. Even if the Chargers have time to get the ball back after this drive, a Broncos field goal should seal it at this point.

Moreno gets the first down, and that should clinch the win for the Broncos, as they'll be able to run down the clock on the next play.

Manning takes a knee, ending the game, and setting up an AFC championship meeting with the New England Patriots.

It was a plucky fightback from the San Diego Chargers, but a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter was always going to be difficult for the Chargers.

This result leaves four games in the race for the Super Bowl. Next weekend, the Broncos will host the New England Patriots for a place in February's showpiece, while the Seattle Seahawks welcome their NFC West rivals the San Francisco 49ers.

Well that concludes the live coverage from the NFL this weekend, but stick around for reports for both of today's games, and join us again next week for what should be two thrilling conference championship matchups. Until then, thanks for joining me this evening, goodbye.