Broncos vs. Chargers: Full San Diego Game Preview
The San Diego Chargers seek consecutive wins for the first time all season when they host the Denver Broncos on Sunday. The Bolts snapped a six-game losing streak last Sunday, edging the Jacksonville Jaguars 31-25 on the road for their first win in 56 days.
Philip Rivers added to an already-stellar campaign, throwing for 300 yards and four touchdowns against the Jags while reaching career milestones in the process. He became the fourth-fastest quarterback to top 40,000 passing yards and tied Vinny Testaverde for 11th all-time with 275 touchdown passes. Antonio Gates hauled in two scores, while Dontrelle Inman and Stevie Johnson had one each for San Diego (3-8).
Meanwhile, the Broncos pulled off quite the upset last week, as C.J. Anderson's 48-yard touchdown run in overtime clinched a 30-24 win over the previously unbeaten New England Patriots. Denver (9-2) won a second straight game with 25-year-old backup Brock Osweiler under center, as a foot injury continues to sideline Peyton Manning.
The Chargers have beaten the Broncos just once in the Mike McCoy era but never at Qualcomm Stadium, as Denver has won four straight games in San Diego.
Click next for more on this Week 13 matchup.
Location: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA
Time: 1:05 p.m. PT
TV: CBS
Week 12 Results and Recap
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AFC West Standings
1. Denver Broncos (9-2)
2. Kansas City Chiefs (6-5)
3. Oakland Raiders (5-6)
4. San Diego Chargers (3-8)
Success in the red zone made all the difference on Sunday, as the Chargers went 4-of-5 with three touchdowns coming in the second quarter.
Rivers connected on the first of his four touchdown passes 39 seconds into the second quarter, hitting Inman on a two-yard pass. Then Gates closed out the quarter with two scores in the final two minutes before the half. He caught the first with 1:50 left on a nine-yard pass, and the second was a 12-yard strike from Rivers with 45 seconds remaining after Manti Te'o intercepted Blake Bortles.
The San Diego defense also played up to par in the red area, holding the Jaguars to 1-of-4, with the lone touchdown coming in the final 1:21 of the game. The defense allowed several big plays in the passing game but hunkered down inside the 20-yard line when it mattered most.
Beating Jacksonville doesn't change the outcome of the season, but at least the Chargers have some sort of momentum to build off of going into Sunday's matchup against heavily favored Denver.
News and Notes
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Chargers Fire Special Teams Coordinator Kevin Spencer
As Ben Higgins of the Mighty 1090 AM first reported, the Chargers fired Kevin Spencer on Wednesday and promoted assistant special teams coach Craig Aukerman to the role of coordinator for the remainder of the season. The decision comes after San Diego went consecutive weeks with one punt-return yard and struggled to provide the offense with better field position than the 22-yard line on average.
Offensive Coordinator Frank Reich Interviews for Maryland Head Coaching Job
According to Don Markus of the Baltimore Sun, Frank Reich was among the candidates to interview on Monday for the head coaching job at Maryland—his old stomping grounds in college.
Per Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com, the Chargers have not confirmed if the interview took place, or if Reich was granted permission by the team to do so. However, it was announced on Wednesday that former Michigan defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin accepted the job, putting Reich out of the running.
Rivers Makes First Appearance of Season on Injury Report
Rivers made his season debut on the injury report this week with a foot injury, which he appeared to have suffered on this play against the Jaguars. Rivers was shaken up but still managed to finish the game and even ran for a couple of first downs. It doesn't seem that serious, as he was able to practice fully on Wednesday, but it's something to monitor.
Latest Injury News
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The full injury report is available on Chargers.com, but here are three of the bigger ones to keep an eye on for Sunday.
OG D.J. Fluker (Concussion)
D.J. Fluker was the only Chargers player who did not practice on Wednesday. He suffered two concussions during Week 11 and was inactive for the last game at Jacksonville. It's too early to tell if he'll miss a second straight game, but if he does, then Kenny Wiggins would get the nod at right guard.
OT King Dunlap (Ankle)
King Dunlap did not suit up against the Jaguars, though he may be able to come back on Sunday after being a limited participant in Wednesday's practice. San Diego could definitely use its starting left tackle while going up against the feared pass-rushers of the Broncos.
QB Philip Rivers (Foot)
Rivers' injury doesn't appear to be serious, but it's worth mentioning given his importance to the team. Though for a guy who once played on a torn ACL, don't expect something as minor as a foot issue to keep him out.
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Key Matchups
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King Dunlap and Joe Barksdale vs. Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware
This matchup could look a little different on Sunday if Dunlap (ankle) and DeMarcus Ware (back) are not able to play due to injuries, but let's assume for the moment that both will be active. The Broncos lead the NFL with 37 sacks, and 13.5 of those belong to the Miller-Ware duo. San Diego's greatest strength right now is throwing the ball with Rivers, but he won't be able to do much of anything if his offensive line can't pass block.
Dunlap and Joe Barksdale will need help, though, in containing two of the better pass-rushers in football. Look for the Chargers to keep a tight end or running back in to block most of the time when Rivers drops back to throw.
Jason Verrett vs. Demaryius Thomas
San Diego's secondary will be kept busy with Demaryius Thomas on one side and speedster Emmanuel Sanders on the other, so it'll be interesting to see whom Jason Verrett draws as his assignment. He typically covers the opposing team's No. 1 receiver, but defensive coordinator John Pagano may want to match speed with speed by having Verrett cover Sanders, so as to keep big plays to a minimum.
Either way, it's going to be extremely difficult for the Chargers to match up with two excellent receivers. It's also worth mentioning that Osweiler can make the big throws downfield, while Manning has shown to struggle in that area.
Matchup X-Factor
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Chargers X-factors of the Week: ILBs Denzel Perryman and Manti Te'o
The Broncos have leaned on their running game with Manning out, feeding the two-headed monster of Anderson and Ronnie Hillman for at least 29 carries in the past two games. And in each of those outings, Denver rushed for 170 and 179 yards, respectively.
The Chargers haven't been good against the run all season, but there's hope for improvement with Denzel Perryman and Te'o playing the way they did last week. The two former second-round picks made quite the tandem, sniffing out the run and playing from sideline to sideline. Another strong performance in the middle is a must against the Broncos, as their game plan will likely feature a strong running presence.
Prediction
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Of course, San Diego is the underdog—even at home. According to OddsShark.com, the Broncos are favored by four points to notch a third straight victory with Osweiler leading them.
But in years past, a healthy Manning carved up the Chargers secondary, and he more often than not found San Diego's weaknesses. This time around is obviously different with the fairly inexperienced Osweiler leading the show, but as he displayed in the win over New England, the Broncos don't need big numbers from the quarterback position to win. All they need is a ground game and the league's top-ranked defense.
Denver should roll in this one and take care of business in San Diego.
Predicted Score: Broncos 26, Chargers 13
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