Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers Preview
By Tylor Walden
The Denver Broncos travel to Los Angeles to take on the Chargers for the final time this season. We take a look at the rematch between these two teams.
Crazy to think that these two teams faced off just six weeks ago. But here we are again. The Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers will battle for the second and final time this season.
This time, the teams play at the StubHub Center. That is where the Chargers will call home until the new Inglewood Stadium is ready. It is not expected to be ready until 2020, so the Broncos will see this stadium for a little bit longer.
The last time these two teams faced off, it took a game saving blocked field goal by Shelby Harris to preserve Vance Joseph’s first win of the season. Los Angeles went on a bit of a tailspin before pulling off two wins against the Giants and Raiders.
Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos won their second game against the Cowboys. However, they have lost two of their last three games. But a win against the Chargers will give the Broncos a 3-0 record against the AFC West. Wins against teams in this division is going to be so important.
This is especially true since the Denver Broncos still have the Kansas City Chiefs two times before the season ends. With a big game in the division, this game should be interesting to see how much these two teams have changed since their first meeting back in September.
Two first year head coaches going up against each other again should prove to be an interesting game. Let us take a look at how these two teams match up.
Key Matchups
Broncos Run Defense (2nd) vs. Melvin Gordon
C.J. Anderson/Jamaal Charles vs. Chargers Run Defense (32nd)
Phillip Rivers vs. Broncos Secondary (6th)
What to Watch For
How will the Denver Broncos handle their latest loss?
No one expected the Broncos to suffer a loss against the New York Giants the way that they did. The biggest key for this game is how they respond against a divisional rival. Especially since they begin a three game road trip.
Winning against the Chargers would put the Denver Broncos in a good position in the division and could give them some motivation going into Kansas City and Philadelphia.
Can the Running Game get it going to help the offense?
The Denver Broncos did not get a lot going in the running game against the Giants. It clearly showed with Trevor Siemian throwing the football 50 times! That simply cannot happen again. There should be no reason a quarterback should be throwing the football that many times.
C.J. Anderson and Jamaal Charles need to get the ball rolling with the running game in order to help their quarterback. The team was doing so well running the ball.
The Chargers are the worst team in run defense. So, the team needs to take advantage.
Prediction:
As of this writing, the Los Angeles Chargers are one point favorites. So, a slight underdog. The Denver Broncos seem to play well being the underdog.
It is going to be really important for this team to get this three game road trip on the right foot. Hopefully, the team will come ready to play.
Winning a divisional game on the road is never easy. But I think this Broncos team is going to come out of the gates white-hot mad and do enough to win this game. Philip Rivers will keep the Chargers in the game, but I do not think it will be enough.
Broncos 20 Chargers 17
Next: Five Offensive Tackles the Broncos Could Trade For
Game Information
If you are in the GREEN, you will be getting the Broncos vs. Chargers game.
Who: Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers
Where: StubHub Center
When: Sunday October 22nd, 2017
Time: 4:25 PM EST/2:25 PM MST
TV Station: CBS
Announcers: Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon