The Denver Broncos finally got the hard part out of the way by clinching a playoff berth with the win over the Bengals on Monday night. And with a little help, the Broncos can even seal the top seed in the AFC in Week 17 with a win and a Patriots loss.
However, The San Diego Chargers are no pushovers (especially going up against a division rival), and they’ll be looking forward to stifling Denver’s postseason plans as a last hurrah to what has been a rather disappointing season overall.
Let’s take a look now at how this AFC West showdown squares up. Afterwards, check out more of our regular season finale coverage with our previews for Raiders vs. Chiefs and Seahawks vs. Cardinals.
[sc:Football ]
San Diego Chargers vs. Denver Broncos Preview
Where: Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver
[sc:NFL250 ]Another week, another close defeat for the San Diego Chargers.
With the 23-20 overtime loss to the Raiders on Sunday, the Chargers have now lost their seventh game wherein they could’ve won or tied the game with one possession, and the third game where they have lost by just a field goal.
San Diego’s problems begin with its polarizing offense. Quarterback Philip Rivers was his usual self by throwing like crazy, going 31-for-49 for 27 yards and a touchdown with no picks. However, the team’s running game was nowhere to be found once more, tallying just a total 72 rushing yards on 25 carries.
As a matter of fact, top running back Danny Woodhead had 11 carries for only 55 yards as he was more effective in San Diego’s passing game with a team-high eight catches for 53 yards, converting several first downs through the air than on the ground. San Diego is now the league’s worst running team with just 82.2 rushing yards per contest, while ranking fourth in the NFL via the pass with a little over 292 passing yards per game.
Rivers will have to pull off a monster day through the air through against the daunting Broncos D this coming Sunday if he and his team were to stun their playoff-bound division rivals and prevent another humiliating loss like the one in Week 13, where San Diego was held to just a field goal in the 17-3 defeat to Denver.
The Broncos offense is average at best, but that unit will likely expose San Diego’s banged-up secondary, as cornerback Jason Verrett (hamstring) and safety Eric Weddle (groin) are each nursing their respective injuries and aren’t penciled-in to start in the Week 17 finale yet.
And speaking of injuries, the Chargers O-line is on the fritz as well with Orlando Franklin and Trevor Robinson both suffering concussions from the game against Oakland. That should spell for a pass rush-happy day from Denver linebacker Von Miller and the Broncos’ rabid front seven from the line of scrimmage, which ultimately does not bode well for Rivers and San Diego’s aerial attack.
Once again, the Denver Broncos’ defense bailed the team out of another sticky situation. The Broncos won over the Cincinnati Bengals in overtime on Monday night, 20-17, after defensive end DeMarcus Ware forced Cincinnati’s A.J. McCarron to fumble the ball and have Denver recover for the game-ending turnover.
On offense, though, quarterback Brock Osweiler is still playing very effectively, but still isn’t doing as much as he should in terms of scoring points from the passing game. He finished 27-of-39 for 277 passing yards and only one touchdown. Osweiler only has two multi-TD games in the six games that he has started in place of Peyton Manning.
Luckily for him and the Broncos, the backfield tandem of C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman are getting things done. The two combined for 108 rushing yards and a TD on just 18 carries against the Bengals on Monday.
But in the end, it’s still Denver’s D that makes the team such a force to be reckoned with. The Broncos are tops in the league against the passing game being the only club to allow less than 200 yards through the air per contest. That secondary should be able to keep Rivers and San Diego’s erratic offense on lock this coming weekend.
Then again, we also have to keep an eye out on Denver’s kicking team situation. Kicker Brandon McManus missed basically a gimme of a 45-yard field goal before the end of regulation which should’ve sealed the win for his team before nailing the go-ahead 37-yarder in OT. McManus has now missed at least one field goal in each of the last five games. If the Chargers put up one hell of a fight, McManus better be ready with his boot to launch his Broncos to victory.
Writer’s Prediction
The Broncos take care of business from their end for better playoff positioning with a quick rout of San Diego, 27-15.
