Denver Broncos vs. San Diego Chargers Week 8 Preview
By Steven Kriz
Two weeks ago, the Denver Broncos suffered their second loss of the year at hands of the division rival San Diego Chargers. Sunday is a chance for revenge.
A week ago Brock Osweiler came back to town and the Denver Broncos got to exact some revenge on their former quarterback.
This week the Broncos have a chance to avenge a week six loss to Phillip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers.
San Diego is coming in on an impressive two-game winning streak, beating both the Broncos and the Falcons in consecutive weeks. After some tough injury news this week, the Broncos will need to refocus their energy and build off of their most complete game of the year this past Monday Night.
The last time the Broncos and Chargers matched up, things looked a little different. Denver was without head coach Gary Kubiak who was recovering from a complex migraine. Trevor Siemian was making his return from a shoulder injury suffered just 10 days prior.
He clearly wasn’t himself in the game as he played, by far, his worst game of the season. Also making their returns from injury two weeks ago were RT Donald Stephenson, and TE Virgil Green. Neither of them played particularly well as there was surely some rust that needed to be shaken off.
Keys to the Game
Get off to a hot start
In the previous contest, the Broncos offense was non-existent until the fourth quarter, and the defense gave up two time-consuming scoring drives in the first half. Playing from behind does not suit the Broncos style of play. Moving the chains and getting early stops will be necessary if the Broncos do not want a repeat of two weeks ago.
Establish the run
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C.J. Anderson is out for at least four weeks, but that doesn’t mean the Broncos can’t get the run game going. Devontae Booker has come on strong in the past few weeks and will be needed in a big way.
Two weeks ago, the Broncos had one of their worst outings of the year running the ball. It allowed the San Diego defense the luxury of sitting back and keeping everything underneath.
The offensive line won the line of scrimmage a week ago against the Texans—something they were not able to do against the Chargers.
If they can get push up front, Booker will carve up this Chargers defense and force their safeties up.
This will open up some deep throws—something that, again, they were not able to do in the last game. “Looking back last week, heck, I would have wanted to throw it 50, 60 yards down the field…” Siemian said last week when asked about the Chargers loss. “…but when they’ve got guys back there over the top, kind of like an umbrella, you’re not going to do that and look good.” Running the ball effectively will solve these issues.
Third down defense
Third down defense is a problem for the Denver Broncos. It has been all season—until last week that is. There have really been two issues; First covering running backs and tight ends have been a problem.
Bunch formations have been the other third down killer. Both of these are problems for a team that plays almost exclusively man coverage. Against the Texans the Broncos flashed a lot more zone looks on third down and had a lot of success in doing so.
The Broncos did play some zone against the Chargers in the second half of the last game, and fared much better than they did in the first half as they really shut the Chargers down. Expect a lot more of the same this game.
Hit Rivers
In San Diego, Phillip Rivers didn’t see the type of pressure that he is used to seeing from this Broncos defense.
He was only hit six times, and sacked twice—both numbers that the Broncos would like to increase this time around. Denver, behind their home crowd will be dialing up the pressure to try and force Rivers into some errant throws.
If the Broncos can generate a few early defensive turnovers, this game could be over quick.
Interesting Notes
- After his best game of the year, C.J. Anderson had to have a torn meniscus in his knee surgically repaired. Initial reports indicated that he would be heading to IR, however it appears that Anderson may be poised for a return far shorter than that.
Source with knowledge of C.J. Anderson's injury tells PFT that he'll miss anywhere from 2-8 weeks and it's too early to be more specific.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) October 28, 2016
- Trevor Siemian looked far healthier last Monday Night against the Texans than he had looked the last time the Broncos faced the Chargers. Only nine of his 50 throws traveled more than 10 yards in the air that night or just under 20% of his throws. He would figure to try and test the Chargers defense deep a bit more often this week.
- Von Miller was held without a sack for the first time all season. Von has sacked Phillip Rivers more than any other quarterback in his career, so a new streak would seem likely.
- The Chargers have held the lead during the fourth quarter in every game they have played this season except for last weeks win against Atlanta—a game in which they tied the game and won in OT. The Chargers are 2-4 when they hold a lead in the fourth quarter.
Key Match-Ups to Watch
- Donald Stephenson vs. Joey Bosa
- Trevor Siemian vs. Chargers Secondary
- Von Miller vs. Phillip Rivers
Prediction
The Broncos haven’t been swept by an AFC West opponent since 2010. If the Broncos win, they would increase their division record to 1-1, same as the Raiders meaning they would move ahead of the Raiders for the division lead by means of strength of schedule. Trevor Siemian should be far more effective this time around. The Broncos pass rush should rattle Rivers into his normal mistakes, and the order will be officially restored in the AFC West.
The Score: Broncos 24 Chargers 16
Game Information
Who: San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos
Where: Sports Authority at Mile High
When: Sunday, October 30, 2016
Time: 4:05 PM EST/2:05 PM MST
Network: CBS
Announcers: Greg Gumbel, Trent Green