Explosive Chargers look to continue rolling: Denver Broncos vs. San Diego Chargers preview
The Chargers will look to continue their climb out of last place in the AFC West when they host their division rival Broncos on Monday night. Kick-off will be at around 8:30pm from Qualcomm Stadium.
Both teams have losing records, despite having the top two passers in the league. Denver (3-6) is led by Kyle Orton’s 2,806 yards while the Chargers (4-5) have been carried by Philip Rivers’ 2,944 yards. In short, expect some great fireworks in San Diego.
Both quarterbacks will have to carry their team, as both teams trail the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders for the division lead.
"Everyone wants to talk about the race and the position that everyone's in," Chargers coach Norv Turner said. "I really think we came to the conclusion that the best thing to do is go win a game at a time and not get caught up in the race."
Turner’s team is coming off a much-needed bye week, as receivers Malcolm Floyd and Legedu Naanee were both injured. They are expected to make their return, but tight end Antonio Gates is listed as doubtful for the game.
The Broncos got a huge monkey off their backs last week, as they blew out the Chiefs with a 49-29 win. That snapped a four-game losing streak for Denver and now they can really make things interesting in the west with a second straight divisional win.
With the offence San Diego has, it’s hard to imagine that they’re only 4-5. They are first in total yards per game (420.2) and first in passing yards per game (312.4). They’re fifth in total scoring (26.6 points per game). They’re also second in the league
defensively in total yards allowed (274.7 per game). It’s been mostly mental errors and special teams gaffes that have cost the Chargers victories. They also have a minus-nine turnover differential.
The Broncos may find it tough though if they have to rely completely on the pass. They are dead last running the football in the NFL, so the Chargers will only be worried about the pass.
The difference in this game may come down to defence. The Broncos are near the bottom of the league in almost every defensive category, including 30th in points allowed per game (28) and 30th against the run (143.1).
The Chargers will look to use some of their rushing weapons including fullback Mike Tolbert, rookie running back Ryan Mathews and the elusive Darren Sproles. While the Chargers are only 16th in rushing offence, they may want to exploit the Broncos’
weakness, especially when Denver will be so focused on Rivers and the passing game.
It seems to happen every year that the Chargers start slow and finish strong. Last year, the Chargers started 2-3 before finishing the season 13-3. In 2008, they started 4-8, but still won the division with a final 8-8 record. In 2007, they started 1-3,
but finished 11-5. That tells you no team is ever really done in the NFL.
"You have a Denver team that I would imagine feels like we did a week or two ago: 'Hey, we get on a little bit of a roll, we're right in there,'" Rivers said. "We're a win away from first place and a loss away from last place. Everybody's in it and there's
still a long way to go."
Tags: