Mile High Stadium could be the site of the AFC West Championship game if the LA Chargers can get past the Houston Texans on Saturday. If that happens, the Chargers and Broncos won't just be playing for an AFC West crown, but for at least one (and possibly two) home playoff games.
Even if the AFC West isn't up for grabs, the Broncos will have a lot to play for against the Chargers in Week 18. The No. 1 seed will almost certainly be on the line for Denver, making the Week 18 AFC West showdown the most important Broncos regular-season game in quite some time.
Denver is seemingly getting a head start in preparing for this game after beating the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day. The Broncos just so happened to sign Chargers practice-squad mainstay Sam Mustipher in a move that could be interpreted as intel gathering.
Broncos sign Sam Mustipher to potentially get intel on the Chargers
The 29-year-old center hasn't played a game for the Chargers this season but he has been in and around the building essentially all season. Los Angeles signed Mustipher to the practice squad on October 2 two days after the Baltimore Ravens waived him.
This isn't Mustipher's first stint with the Chargers, either. Mustipher spent the entire season with the Chargers in 2024 and was on the active roster from October 30 onwards. He appeared in 12 games with the Chargers last season, starting one.
Denver's signing isn't completely premeditated. The Broncos placed starting center Luke Wattenberg on IR ahead of Thursday's game against the Chiefs. Alex Forsyth, who started four games for the Broncos last season, started in Week 17 and will play center the rest of the way.
Mustipher provides experienced depth to the Broncos, which is certainly a factor in why Denver signed him of all players. Mustipher has appeared in 64 NFL games, starting 43. That dynamic certainly factored into the Broncos' decision.
Denver chose to sign Mustipher over their own practice-squad center Joe Michalski. Michalski is an UDFA rookie who struggled in the preseason. In addition to getting some insight on the Chargers' operations, the Broncos are also getting a much more stable backup plan.
The Chargers already replaced Mustipher on the practice squad, doing so before the Broncos even claimed him. Los Angeles signed Josh Kaltenberger, who has had multiple stints on the team's practice squad, on Christmas Eve.