Denver Broncos vs. San Diego Chargers: What's the Game Plan for Denver?

Brock Osweiler has won his first two starts as quarterback of the Denver Broncos. Up next is a meeting with the San Diego Chargers.

In those two starts, Osweiler has completed 43 of 69 passes for 520 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. But as he would tell you, both victories have been total team efforts.

Denver has gotten the running game going and the defense continues to play well. That bodes well for a young quarterback pushing his team toward the playoffs.

Though only two teams in the league have won less games than the Chargers this season, the Broncos must not overlook them, especially on the road. San Diego generally always plays the Broncos tough. However, Denver has won seven of the last eight meetings.

Any hopes of the playoffs are long gone for the Chargers, but hampering Denver's chances at home-field advantage—or even a first-round bye—should be plenty of motivation for Philip Rivers and company to play well.

So how can the Broncos be successful on both sides of the ball in San Diego? Let's take a look.

Offensive Game Plan

The Broncos have done a great job the last two weeks designing an offensive game plan that leads to success for Osweiler. Because of a strong running game, he hasn't been asked to do too much. 

The Chargers happen to be one of the worst run defenses in the NFL, allowing 123.7 yards per game. Only six teams have given up more. In games played at Qualcomm Stadium, the Chargers have given up an average of 119.3 yards on the ground. They have a 2-4 record in those games.

The Broncos bring in a rushing attack that seems to be hitting its stride. The recent play of C.J. Anderson is especially encouraging, and Denver should ride him as a result in this game.

Denver's coaching staff should target 20 carries for Anderson and then bring Ronnie Hillman in as a change-of-pace back. Anderson and Hillman can be a very tough combination and against a team as susceptible against the run as the Chargers, they should both shine.

If there was a low point in last week's overtime victory over the New England Patriots, it had to be the play of Demaryius Thomas. He caught just one pass of the 13 that were thrown his way, and many of those were drops.

The Broncos should plan to get Thomas involved early and often in this game. He and Osweiler need to establish a connection because Thomas should be a big part of any success the team has in the postseason. Emmanuel Sanders has stepped up in a big way this season, but Denver still needs Thomas to be playing with confidence as the seasons wears on.

"

Demaryius Thomas either forgot how to play football or doesn't care enough to remember.

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) November 30, 2015"

Osweiler should again target him a bunch in this game.

One key factor to watch for on the offensive side of the ball in this game will be the playing status of guard Louis Vasquez. Andrew Mason of the team's official website reports Vasquez is listed as questionable for this game, despite practicing on Thursday and Friday.

If Vasquez is unable to go, Evan Mathis and Max Garcia will get the start at the two guard spots. If that is the case, look for the Chargers to try to create pressure on Osweiler up the middle against the inexperienced Garcia and the struggling Mathis.

As a result, we could see Osweiler line up in a shotgun more than he has been with a running back in to help with protection.

Defensive Game Plan

As Mason reports, Denver will be without three key starters in this game, as DeMarcus Ware, Sylvester Williams and T.J. Ward have all been ruled out. San Diego will try to take advantage of that. 

The Chargers have not ran the ball effectively this season, despite using their first-round pick on running back Melvin Gordon. The Broncos also have too much talent in the secondary for Rivers to challenge them on the outside.

With that said, San Diego's offensive game plan seems somewhat obvious. Rivers is going to look for players he knows he can trust, and many of those will be on checkdown throws. Danny Woodhead and Antonio Gates are two players the Denver defense must not lose.

With Ward out for this game, linebackers Danny Trevathan and Brandon Marshall will likely have extra assignments in pass coverage. Darian Stewart will need to step up as well.

In two games against the Broncos last season, Gates caught 11 passes for 108 yards and three touchdowns; that was with Ward in the lineup. Woodhead has caught 52 passes this season and is averaging 10.9 yards per catch. He is a shifty player who can pick up tough yards with the ball in his hands.

If the Broncos can slow these two players down and force Rivers to go somewhere else with the football, it will be a successful day on defense for Denver.

Rivers has been without his top target, Keenan Allen, for weeks. Though Stevie Johnson and Malcom Floyd are experienced targets, Dontrelle Inman and Javontee Herndon are not.

Key Players and Matchups

Max Garcia: Garcia should see playing time in this game whether Vasquez plays or not. Keep an eye on the holes he opens in the running game. 

Darius Kilgo: With Williams missing the game due to an ankle injury, rookie Darius Kilgo should see his most significant action of the season against the Chargers.

Darian Stewart vs. Antonio Gates: Rivers is going to target Gates often in this game, especially since Ward will be sitting it out. Darian Stewart saw a lot of Rob Gronkowski last week, and he'll need to be ready for this matchup. Though Stewart is fourth on the team with 50 tackles, Pro Football Focus ranks him at No. 35 in terms of pass coverage for all safeties.

Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan vs. Danny Woodhead: We touched on this matchup earlier, but how well the Denver linebackers can contain Woodhead will be a key factor in this game. Woodhead is going to catch at least five passes in this matchup, but if Denver can make quick tackles and limit his yards after the catch, it could help stall San Diego drives.

Prediction

Though one team is 9-2 and the other is 3-8, this is still a divisional rival and fans should expect a fierce battle. 

If San Diego can slow down the running game of Denver, the Broncos will be in for another game that goes down to the wire. But that will be easier said than done.

San Diego has Floyd back and a healthy Gates for Rivers to throw the ball to, so this Chargers team isn't as bad as it appeared a few weeks ago on a Monday night against the Chicago Bears. Still, they don't have the firepower to put up many points against this Denver defense.

Osweiler goes to 3-0 as a starter as Denver wins by two scores at Qualcomm Stadium.

Final Prediction: Broncos 27, Chargers 13