Coming off another disappointing second half collapse against the Oakland Raiders, the San Diego Chargers have a short week to get ready to take on the Denver Broncos in this week’s edition of Thursday Night Football. The Broncos are also facing some adversity of their own following their first loss of the season at the hands of the high-flying Atlanta Falcons. With the loss, the Broncos fell to second place in the AFC West behind the upstart Oakland Raiders.
Heading into the game against the Broncos, the Chargers are led by Philip Rivers. On the season, the veteran quarterback has thrown for 1,469 yards and 11 touchdowns. Despite all of the struggles that the team has had, Rivers has been a bright spot with his consistent play and great touch on his passes. Melvin Gordon is having a much better second season in the NFL, and he is turning into a dependable running back who is able to rip off large chunks of yardage. With Keenan Allen out for the entire season with an ACL injury, Travis Benjamin has stepped up to help fill the void. While he is not the game-breaker that Allen is, he has 394 yards and two touchdowns on the season. Over five games, the Chargers defense is holding their opponents to a little over 80 yards per contest on the ground. They have also created nine turnovers that the offense has been able to convert into points. If it was not for a few epic fourth quarter collapses, the Chargers could also be in the mix for the AFC West lead instead of sitting at 1 and 4 and in the cellar of the division.
This week’s game for the Broncos will be without Head Coach Gary Kubiak who will sit out the game due to a lingering medical condition. Also in doubt for the Broncos is Quarterback Trevor Siemian. In his absence last week, Rookie Paxton Lynch looked shaky against the Falcons secondary. The starting quarterback will likely be announced shortly before kickoff. Siemian leads the Broncos with 824 yards on the season and six TDs. C.J. Anderson has found the end zone three times on the ground and leads the Denver rushing attack with 293 yards. Demaryius Thomas has caught 26 balls on the season for 381 yards while, on the defensive side of the ball, Aqib Talib has been playing at an all-pro level with nine passes deflected, three interceptions, and one interception returned for a touchdown.
This week’s game will likely be decided on the defensive side of the ball. The Broncos have one of the stingiest defenses in the league, and the unit will be looking to bounce back from a sub-par outing against the Falcons. Von Miller, Talib, and company should be able to put plenty of pressure on Philip Rivers, but will the Broncos be able to score enough to beat the Chargers? San Diego’s offense may not even be near the best in the NFL but, if they can limit their mistakes, they may be able to pull off the big upset at the Q.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
