San Diego Chargers vs. Denver Broncos: What Are Experts Saying About San Diego?

The San Diego Chargers (5-2) play the unfamiliar role of the underdog Thursday versus the Denver Broncos (5-1) after weeks of being favored against feisty lesser teams like the Raiders and Jets.

The Chargers were riding high until their Week 7 game against the Chiefs—the offense wasn’t its usual self on third down, and the defense struggled to get enough healthy players on the field. Kansas City won a messy 23-20 game in San Diego’s first loss since Week 1.

Now the Chargers have to face the hottest team in football on a short week—not exactly what they needed to get their spirits back up.

The expert consensus in San Diego’s Week 8 tilt with Denver is Peyton Manning will be too much to handle for Philip Rivers and a gassed Chargers defense. A record of 5-3 seems to be a foregone conclusion in the eyes of most.

However, there is more to focus on here than the quarterbacks. Let’s see what six experts had to say on the Chargers’ chances in Week 8, including their thoughts on cornerback Richard Marshall attempting to bounce back, the pass rush of both teams and the depth of Denver’s offense.

Travis Wakeman: Von Miller vs. D.J. Fluker Is a Crucial Matchup

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Bleacher Report’s Travis Wakeman writes that Chargers right tackle D.J. Fluker could have trouble against Denver’s red-hot linebacker Von Miller. According to Wakeman, Miller has seven sacks in six career games versus San Diego, only failing to take down Rivers in one game.

Wakeman categorizes Miller vs. Fluker as one of the three most important matchups in Thursday’s game, and he’s right. Fluker has regressed after a promising end to his rookie season, and the Chiefs’ Justin Houston took full advantage of his lackluster play on Sunday.

Fluker has been battling an ankle injury and got tangled up with guard Chris Watt on Houston’s sack, so it’s not all on him as a player. Besides, Houston is an excellent pass-rusher.

However, Miller is even better, playing at a higher level than any non-J.J. Watt defender in football. What he excels at—acceleration and explosiveness—are what Fluker has struggled to protect against his entire career.

The Chargers must be prepared to give Fluker additional help Thursday, whether from a running back or tight end or by lessening the amount of throws on obvious passing downs. But if he can handle the All-Pro on his own—which he can do in stretches if fully healthy—the Chargers would become much more dangerous offensively.

Kevin Acee and Michael Gehlken: Marshall’s Bad Game Could Have Been Worse

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Kevin Acee and Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego wrote some quick hits on the Chargers and reminded fans that cornerback Richard Marshall’s ugly game against Kansas City could have looked even worse.

The veteran defensive back got major playing time with Brandon Flowers and Jason Verrett injured, and he was targeted by the Chiefs several times. Receivers were always open in his coverage, but multiple drops, two of which could have been touchdowns, lessened the damage they were able to do. He was also responsible for a backbreaking third-down holding call, which led to a Chiefs touchdown.

According to Acee and Gehlken, the Broncos have dropped just six passes all season—Marshall will have to rely on something other than the drop fairy Thursday.

If his coverage doesn’t improve exponentially—or Flowers and Verrett aren’t able to suit up—Peyton Manning and the Broncos will go after him. Hard. Dwayne Bowe and Junior Hemingway were able to pick on Marshall’s coverage, but Demaryius Thomas is a different beast entirely.

Chris Roling: Manning Too Much for Rivers and Weakened Chargers

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Bleacher Report’s Chris Roling has the Broncos beating the Chargers 34-28, due to San Diego’s injured defense struggling to get Kansas City off the field and Peyton Manning being, well, Peyton Manning.

It’s no secret that Manning could have a field day against a Chargers secondary down Flowers and Verrett. Even more important for the Broncos is they can easily employ Kansas City’s controlled offensive style to keep Rivers off the field.

Sure, Jamaal Charles isn’t a Bronco, but Denver is better at quarterback, wide receiver and tight end than Kansas City is. Even on a short week, Manning will know the Chargers’ weaknesses and how to exploit them with his bounty of weapons.

If the game is high-scoring like Roling is predicting, the Broncos will come away victorious. Shootouts often come down to which defense can make a big play to finally end a drive, and Denver has a better chance of doing that. The Broncos simply have more healthy playmakers on defense than the Chargers do—a sack by Miller to end a drive is entirely possible and would spell doom for San Diego.

Pat Kirwan: Can the Chargers Pass Rush Get to Manning?

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CBS Sports’ Pat Kirwan believes the Broncos pass rush, with Miller and a revitalized DeMarcus Ware, will be able to get to Rivers much like it did against Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers. He has more doubts about the Chargers pass rush and its ability to get to Manning.

That’s not a bold assertion to make—the Broncos have Miller and Ware, while the Chargers have Dwight Freeney and some rotation players.

Sacking Rivers is by no means guaranteed for the Denver defense, however. The Chargers offense ranks ninth in the NFL in sack percentage, per Pro Football Reference. This is despite the San Diego offensive linemen's struggles to stay healthy and keep defenders in front of them. It’s all due to how the Chargers offense operates, focusing on getting quick completions with plenty of yard-after-contact potential. Rivers is its ideal pilot.

Sacks will be even more difficult to come by for San Diego’s defense. The Broncos rank sixth in sack percentage and only have to worry about Freeney on the edge. Defensive lineman Corey Liuget must dominate the interior to give his team a chance, especially with the Chargers secondary in its current state.

Scott Polacek: Broncos Offense Has Too Many Weapons

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Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas are the two Denver pass-catchers who stand out the most, but defenses can’t forget about Wes Welker and Emmanuel Sanders. Bleacher Report’s Scott Polacek points this out in his NFL Week 8 picks, saying a banged-up Chargers secondary is going to leave at least one of these guys open.

Even though the Broncos have plenty of targets, Demaryius Thomas is the easy favorite to get the most targets and yards. If Flowers and/or Verrett suit up for Thursday, chances are they won’t be at 100 percent. Thomas, one of the most physically gifted receivers in football, would run right by them.

And if neither of them suits up, Shareece Wright and Richard Marshall would be more than happy to escort Thomas to the end zone.

Denver will likely attack whatever side of the field safety Eric Weddle isn’t on, and he will have his hands full dealing with the Thomases. Rivers and the offense should bounce back after a weak Week 7 performance, keeping this game close, but a thin defense on a short week won’t be able to stop Manning.