Thursday Night Football Week 8: TV Schedule, Live Stream for Chargers vs Broncos

You don't find many Week 8 games that can greatly impact the playoff race, but Thursday Night Football between the San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos could be just that.

The Chargers surprised to start 2014 with a 5-1 record before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs last weekend, and a victory Thursday would tie them with the Broncos atop the AFC West. But Denver comes in with a 4-0 record at home, and Peyton Manning has been unstoppable as of late.

For San Diego to keep pace with Denver and threaten the division title, it will probably need a win at some point over Manning and Co. But doing so against this surging Broncos team at Mile High will be quite the test.

Here's a full breakdown of Thursday night's game.

Game Information

When: Thursday, October 23 at 8:25 p.m. ET

Where: Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado

Watch: CBS/NFL Network

Betting Info: (via Odds Shark)

• Spread: Denver (-8)
• Over/Under: 51.5

Storylines to Watch

Can Banged-Up SD Secondary Continue Success vs. Manning?

The passing defense is the first thing about the Chargers that jumps off the page, surprisingly ranking No. 3 in the league, giving up 209 yards per game. But it hasn't exactly faced high-powered passing attacks, either.

In their last two games, however, San Diego's defense has conceded 51 combined points and five passing scores—four to rookie Derek Carr. And things are only getting worse, with injuries beginning to pile up.

Starting cornerback Brandon Flowers is already out, and impact youngster Jason Verrett could also end up missing the game, per Around the NFL:

If there's one aspect the Chargers can manufacture some confidence from, however, it's maintaining a level of success against Manning that few others can boast.

Two of Manning's five worst quarterback ratings in 2013 were against San Diego, one of which was in the playoffs. The Chargers also had his number in last year's Thursday night meeting.

The success doesn't end there, as XtraSports1360.com's Judson Richards noted San Diego's career success versus Manning:

With Flowers out on one end of the secondary, Verrett would be the best replacement if he was healthy. That likely means starting duty for Richard Marshall, the ninth-year pro who started six games a year ago.

Shareece Wright will likely be called on to lock down Demaryius Thomas, who has more than 500 receiving yards and five scores in his last three games. Should that easier-said-than-done task come to fruition, the Chargers will just have to hope Manning has an off night and fails to find the open guys.

Letdown Looming, or Another Manning-Dominated TNF?

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Simply remembering what unfolded last season will have many all but expecting Manning and the Broncos to have a letdown on Thursday night.

The Broncos were flying high late in the season, having won five of six and coming off a 51-28 win over the Tennessee Titans. Then they faced a short week and were upset by the Chargers on the road 27-20.

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But looking at Manning's career dominance on Thursday Night Football tends to wipe away any looming letdown. Prior to that late 2013 defeat, Manning had won his previous six TNF contests—dating all the way back to 2006.

After breaking Brett Favre's career touchdown record with score Nos. 509 and 510, the emotions were high for the always-tempered Manning. But he wasted no time putting it in the past and focusing on Week 8.

Manning told The Denver Post's Nicki Jhabvala:

"

It was a good game we played on Sunday night — we beat a good football team — but as much as you're happy about winning, you have to put it behind you. Everything that happened in that game, you have to move on.

You prepare for what you see on film, but you also know you got to be able to adjust during the game, because you can't get to know them as well as you would in a normal week.

"

Manning has been nearly perfect on short weeks, but his one slip-up came against this very opponent. San Diego's No. 3 pass defense will have to be at its best to repeat history, but that secondary hasn't faced a test quite like Manning in 2014.

Prediction

San Diego's strong numbers in the secondary are more than a bit of a fallacy, as the Chargers haven't faced a passing offense in the top half of the league all season. Add some key injuries and a record-breaking quarterback to that, and the Broncos should have little trouble winning at home.

The Chargers might have Manning's number, but it's a lot more likely to fathom San Diego getting past Denver in Week 15 at home. Right now, the Broncos are simply getting better on each side of the ball every week, while the Chargers continue to receive crushing injuries.

Prediction: Broncos 34, Chargers 23