Chargers vs. Broncos: Complete Week 8 Preview for San Diego
If all goes well on Thursday night, Philip Rivers will be treated to another gift bag from the NFL Network crew after a Chargers win in Denver.
San Diego shocked the Broncos 27-20 last December on Thursday Night Football, which ended Denver's 13-game home win streak at the time. An overwhelming rushing attack kept Peyton Manning on the sideline for nearly 39 minutes and held the Broncos to their lowest point total all season during a record-breaking campaign.
The Chargers had their five-game win streak snapped against the Kansas City Chiefs this past Sunday, but they have no time to sulk with only a few days to prepare for the highest-scoring team in football led by a quarterback who just broke the all-time record for touchdown passes.
This Week 8 preview starts now.
Chargers' Week 7 Recap
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The Chargers got a taste of their own medicine on Sunday as the Chiefs mimicked San Diego's strategic use of bleeding the clock on offense. Kansas City took control of the ball for 39 minutes with the use of its run game, which totaled 154 yards on 39 carries.
In the third quarter, San Diego had the ball for all of one minute, two seconds as the Chiefs manufactured 11- and 12-play drives. Branden Oliver, who was coming off two 100-yard rushing games, ran for 67 yards on only 15 carries.
Defensively, the Chargers had trouble getting off the field on third down as Kansas City managed to convert seven of 14 attempts. Missed tackles and penalties late in the game were especially frustrating as the Chiefs were bailed out on multiple occasions.
After Cairo Santos kicked the go-ahead field goal with 21 seconds remaining, San Diego had a small chance to move the ball down the field with two timeouts left, but Rivers threw a poor pass to Antonio Gates that was intercepted by Kurt Coleman to seal the game.
It was not a good effort all-around, but in no way did it compromise San Diego's standing as one of the better clubs in the NFL this season.
News and Notes
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Oliver Could Play Big Role on Thursday
The formula used to beat Denver last season could still be in play provided the Chargers give Branden Oliver a heavy workload on Thursday. San Diego ran the ball 44 times in the upset win, 29 of which went to Ryan Mathews. Giving Oliver something around that number is probably what it will take to get the job done, but he won't have the benefit of a running mate like a Danny Woodhead to back him up. Ronnie Brown, who is next in line behind Oliver, has seen just three carries in two games.
Poor Tackling a Concern
ESPN.com's Eric D. Williams runs down San Diego's issues with tackling in his blog and discusses the importance of fixing that problem in a hurry with the Broncos on tap for Thursday. Usually surefire tacklers like Donald Butler and Kendall Reyes struggled to bring down Kansas City's ball-carriers—mistakes that led to big gains and touchdowns this past Sunday.
San Diego won't be up against another elite-caliber running back like Jamaal Charles this week, but Ronnie Hillman is no slouch for Denver. The San Diego State product is averaging 4.4 yards per carry and has rushed for 174 yards in his last two outings against the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers—both of which are top 10 in rushing defense this season.
Injuries Weighing Down San Diego
The Chargers have been short-handed at a number of positions from week to week due to injuries. Earlier this season it was at running back with the loss of Ryan Mathews and Danny Woodhead and then at linebacker with Melvin Ingram and Manti Te'o and at center with Nick Hardwick. At the quarter mark of the season, the injury focus has now shifted to the secondary where Brandon Flowers, Jason Verrett and Shareece Wright have all been out at some point.
Flowers left Sunday's game with a head injury, and Verrett did not suit up as he was nursing a shoulder injury from the previous week. Injuries have significantly weighed down the Chargers and continue to pile up at the worst time. San Diego's banged-up secondary will be going up against a future Hall of Fame quarterback who leads the league with 19 TD passes.
Injury Report
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| Name | Position | Injury | Status |
| Jerry Attaochu | LB | Hamstring | Doubtful |
| Donald Brown | RB | Concussion | Questionable |
| Brandon Flowers | CB | Concussion | Out |
| Ryan Mathews | RB | Knee | Questionable |
| Manti Te'o | LB | Foot | Questionable |
| Jason Verrett | CB | Shoulder | Questionable |
| Steve Williams | CB | Groin | Questionable |
| Kavell Conner | LB | Ankle | Probable |
| D.J. Fluker | OT | Ankle | Probable |
| Rich Ohrnberger | C | Back | Probable |
| Dwight Freeney | LB | Knee | Probable |
** courtesy of Chargers.com **
Based on the participation in practice on Tuesday, per ESPN.com's Eric Williams, Brown, Mathews and Te'o are not expected to play against Denver, and Flowers is somewhat of a long shot after the blow to the head he took on Sunday. San Diego can catch a break, however, if Attaochu and Verrett manage to return after missing last week's game.
With Flowers likely out, the Chargers will need Verrett back to try and slow down Denver's aerial assault. Attaochu can help them too in getting pressure on Manning.
** Update 10/22 **
Flowers has been ruled out, per the team's Twitter account. He was initially questionable, but the Chargers have downgraded his status a day before their matchup with Denver.
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X-Factor and Matchups to Watch
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San Diego Defense versus Peyton Manning
The Chargers are no strangers to Manning, having faced him twice per year for the past two seasons and three times in 2013 if you count the postseason. The blueprint to defeating Denver last year was limiting the amount of time Manning had the ball and getting after him on defense. John Pagano had everything clicking in that previous Thursday night win, but can he get the same production out of a unit that is fairly banged up?
San Diego Secondary versus Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas
The Thomas duo has 15 touchdowns on the year and 966 yards between them. Who matches up with them in the secondary isn't clear yet, but it will be a difficult task nonetheless for whoever takes it on. Demaryius is averaging 110.8 receiving yards and has 11 catches of 20 or more yards. The Chargers will also want to keep an eye on Emmanuel Sanders, who has caught 24 first-down passes—tied for team best.
Philip Rivers versus Denver Defense
If the Chargers thought Kansas City had a good defense, just wait till they see the NFL's second-ranked defensive unit on Thursday. The Broncos play the run and the pass equally well, and the new additions in the offseason seem to be paying off. DeMarcus Ware has seven sacks next to Von Miller's eight. Aqib Talib has a team-high six defended passes with two interceptions, and first-round draft choice Bradley Roby has 30 tackles and six defended passes.
X-Factor: Branden Oliver
Maintaining control of the ball will require heavy lifting from the San Diego backfield—an assignment Oliver probably looks forward to. The Chargers abandoned the running game last week and were beaten at their own game, and the last thing they want is to give Manning more time on offense.
Prediction
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According to Odds Shark, Denver is favored by about eight points on its home turf, as most experts don't believe the Chargers have it in them to pull off another upset on Thursday Night Football. After witnessing the Broncos run up the score on the 49ers last Sunday night, is it possible the trend of blowout games on Thursday night continues with San Diego playing the victim this time around?
I like the moxie Mike McCoy's squad has displayed this season in playing a man down, but Denver sits atop most power rankings these days for a reason. The Broncos have so many weapons to worry about on offense that I don't think the Chargers have enough capable bodies to put a stop to their high-scoring ways.
Defensively, Denver is a lot better team with all the upgrades it made. Justin Houston and Tamba Hali put pressure on Philip Rivers a week ago, and now he'll face another threatening duo in Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware.
San Diego has the firepower on offense to keep up, but Denver has the defense to slow down Rivers and the offense to put this game out of reach. I don't see the Chargers getting humiliated like most teams have on Thursday night, but Manning and the Broncos will eventually wear down their foes and put them away.
Prediction: Broncos 33, Chargers 27
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