Looking Ahead to Week 11: Chargers at Broncos

Now that things have settled down a bit after the draft, let’s get back to looking ahead at the Broncos 2012 schedule. We will continue to take a game-by-game look at the season that the team has in front of them. 

The Broncos host the Chargers in week 11 for the teams’ final regular season meeting. The Broncos are coming home after four of their last five games on the road while the Chargers are coming off of a game at Tampa Bay.

The two teams will have already met in week 6 in a Monday Night game.

The Chargers’ offense was 5th in the league putting up 25.4 points per game. They were 16th in rushing and 6th in passing, but many would agree that Philip Rivers had an off year.

Defensively, the Chargers were just slightly better than the Broncos. They were 22nd in points allowed (23.6), 20th in rush defense, and 13th in pass defense.

The Chargers lost Vincent Jackson in free agency, but they acquired Robert Meachem to make up some ground. They also picked up defensive end Jarrett Johnson and safety Atari Bigby.

In the draft, the Chargers hit a home run with selecting OLB Melvin Ingram out of South Carolina. He will really improve their defense. They also got a great pick in DT Kendall Reyes out of Connecticut. The Chargers’ top three picks were on the defensive side of the ball while they went offense with their remaining four picks.

Early Prediction: Chargers – 31 Broncos – 21. I predicted a win for the Broncos in week 6, but I think they let up a little in week 11 while the Chargers really begin to click.

Chargers Leaders in 2011:

Philip Rivers – 366-for-582 (62.9%), 4,624 passing yards, 27 TDs, 20 INTs, 5 fumbles

Ryan Mathews – 1,091 yards (77.9 per game), 6 TDs, 2 fumbles

Vincent Jackson – 60 receptions, 1,106 yards, 9 TDs, 0 fumbles

Takeo Spikes – 106 tackles

Eric Weddle – 7 INTs

Antwan Barnes – 9 sacks

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