On their second Thursday Night Football game of the season, the Broncos face the Chargers. Let's make three bold predictions for the game. It's another short week for Denver, and they seek to clinch their first playoff spot since the 2015 NFL Season, when the won Super Bowl 50 with Peyton Manning.
They are in SoFi to play a vulnerable Chargers team that just got blown out by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. LA may not have enough time this week to figure out just what went wrong and how to fix it. LA has now lost three of four games, and Denver has won their last four.
The Broncos are actually ahead of LA in the standings as well. The Broncos 9-5 record is one game ahead of the Chargers 8-6 record, and with a win in Week 16, Denver moves to 10-5 and actually makes it a bit of a shaky situation for LA to get into the playoffs.
Let's make three bold predictions for this game.
3 bold predictions for the Broncos in Week 16 versus the Chargers
Broncos sack Justin Herbert 5 times
Justin Herbert has been sacked 38 times in just 14 games this year. For all the chatter about just how good the Chargers tackle situation is with Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, the OL itself is giving up sacks, but many people think sacks are more on the QB. Anyway, Herbert is working through an ankle injury, so he may not be as mobile in this game. If the Broncos secondary is able to hold up, the pass rush is going to have plenty of time to get home.
And that could mean a huge day for the Denver Broncos pass rush, which definitely got their fair share of pressure on Anthony Richardson, the Indianapolis Colts mobile QB. Herbert will get sacked five times in this game and will have to deal with the best pass rush in the NFL.
Broncos hold Chargers to under 75 rushing yards
Chargers starting running back JK Dobbins went down with a knee injury in Week 12. Over the last three games that he's been out, LA has rushed for 56, 94, and 32 yards, which is an average of 61 rushing yards per game. It's been a worst rushing attack than Denver's, which is saying something.
Well, here in Week 16, the Denver Broncos are going to hold the LA Chargers to under 75 rushing yards. Gus Edwards should get the start for the Bolts, and he's just a guy if we're being honest. LA not being able to establish the run may force them into a similar situation that we have seen with the Broncos in recent weeks.
But heck, the Chargers do not have the playmaker talent than Denver has on the outside, which is actually crazy when you think about it. The Chargers have also not broken the 20-point mark in a game since Week 12. They have scored 17 points in each of their last three contests. This could be a low-scoring game for LA, and them not being able to establish the run is a huge reason for it.
Broncos kick a game-winning field goal
I am feeling very frisky and emotional ahead of this game. The Denver Broncos will kick a game-winning field goal as time expires to also clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2015. It'll be truly poetic. Wil Lutz has been money this season, and he's made nearly 90% of his field goal attempts during his time in Denver.
The Chargers also play indoors, so the elements will not be a factor here. Whether the score ends up being 20-17, 17-14, or some other score does not matter; what matters for this prediction is Denver will line up with the playoffs on the line and kick a game-winning FG. They'll storm the field in celebration and get some extended rest before their Week 17 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.