Fortunately, the Denver Broncos should not have their hands full with Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler, as the two teams face off in Week 14. The Broncos Week 13 loss to the Houston Texans felt like a must-win, but the team sits just one game out of a Wild Card spot in the AFC. And sitting just behind Denver is the 5-7 LA Chargers, who host Denver this week.
Now this game is a must-win for both teams for each to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Chargers seem to have bottomed out a bit under head coach Brandon Staley. The team went 10-7 in the regular season last year and already has seven losses this year. Justin Herbert has been the same exact quarterback his entire career, so the Broncos should know what to expect from him.
The Chargers have also again been bitten by the injury bug. Wide receiver Mike Williams and EDGE rusher Joey Bosa are out, among a few other players. Well, their starting running back, Austin Ekeler, has been thoroughly awful this year, and this poor and pathetic attempt at a run really sums up Ekeler's down season and how bad the Chargers have been this year:
That's just brutal. pic.twitter.com/xHRVSrb4RH
— Jason Balliet (@Syntari13) December 5, 2023
As you can see, a massive hole opened up in between the center and right guard, and for whatever reason, Ekeler decided to run in the complete opposite direction. On the season, Ekeler has run for 446 yards, and is averaging, get this, just 3.5 yards per carry. The Chargers rank 25th in the NFL in rushing yards per game, and collectively, they average just 3.9 yards per tote.
This might be awesome news for the Denver Broncos, who struggle to stop the run. Keenan Allen is also their only viable receiver, so I do think the secondary should have a solid day. Denver matches up very well with LA, and even with this being an away game, the Broncos should come out with a victory.