Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton nearly broke an NFL record in loss to Chargers

Things have been ugly for the Denver Broncos in 2022 and there have been few bright spots.

That was again the case for the Broncos on Monday night in a 19-16 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. The offense again struggled mightily but the defense put together another solid performance.

Linebacker Alex Singleton, who has had his ups and downs this season, did all he could to help the Broncos get this win. He registered a ridiculous 19 solo tackles (21 combined) on the night.

According to Pro Football Reference, Singleton’s 19 solo tackles tied for the second most in a game in NFL history. He tied Derrick Brooks, a Hall-of-Fame linebacker who had 19 in a game against the Buffalo Bills in November 2000.

The only player who ever had more was New York Jets linebacker David Harris, who posted a 20-tackle game against Washington in November 2007.

Singleton easily broke the team record. Al Wilson had 15 tackles on December 1, 2002, also against the Chargers. That mark stood for just about two decades before Singleton’s performance on Monday night.

It was a great performance for Singleton, who looked like a horrid free-agent signing by the team after the Week 1 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. In that game, he missed tackles and often looked lost on the field.

Singleton has certainly bounced back and through six weeks, he leads the Broncos in both solo tackles (32) and combined tackles (47).

The defense has not been to blame for Denver’s failures this season. The Broncos are allowing an average of just 16.5 points per game. Sadly, that has translated to just two wins as the offense is only putting up 15.1 points per game.

A great defense and a pedestrian offense. That seems to be the script the team has followed since the retirement of Peyton Manning.

Still, even in defeat, Singleton saw his stock rise immensely on Monday night while posting a team record that may never be broken.