San Diego Chargers vs. Denver Broncos: Full Report Card Grades for San Diego
There was no bolo tie or rattlesnake boots on the set of the Thursday Night Football postgame show following San Diego's 35-21 loss to Denver.
Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos exacted revenge on the San Diego Chargers for last season's upsetting loss, and Emmanuel Sanders was treated to the spotlight after a three-touchdown performance on prime time, which he deservedly earned.
The Chargers, who fell to 5-3 on the season, have now lost two in a row and are feeling the effects of injuries across the board.
Here's how the Bolts graded out in Denver.
Quarterback
1 of 10
An animated Philip Rivers on Thursday night wasn't enough to propel the Chargers past the Broncos' second-ranked defense.
Despite throwing for three touchdowns, Rivers was picked off twice in the second half and the San Diego offense was unable to keep pace with Peyton Manning. All three of Denver's drives in the third quarter went for touchdowns while the Chargers posted just one score in the same number of possessions.
With no ground game to balance out the attack on offense, Rivers was forced to chuck it up a season-high 41 times. The Denver secondary limited Rivers to 6.1 yards per pass—well below his season average of 8.53.
Grade: C
Running Back
2 of 10
On effort alone, Branden Oliver earned an A in my book, but it's tough to reward someone with such below-average numbers.
Oliver totaled 36 yards on 13 carries for a 2.8-yard average. Coming into Thursday's contest, he was breaking off 4.4 yards per carry, but Denver's swarming front seven made sure he wasn't allowed to get into open space.
The rookie back also chimed in with seven catches for 27 yards, which was his most efficient use.
As good as Oliver has been in past weeks for the Chargers, the Broncos looked well-prepared for his running style, begging the question as to whether the need for Ryan Mathews is growing more desperate from week to week.
Grade: C-
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Keenan Allen's touchdown drought came to an end in Week 8 against the Broncos—a pretty screen pass from two yards out. Allen tallied nine catches on the night, one short of his career high, and had 73 yards receiving.
Antonio Gates posted his third multi-touchdown game this season with a pair of scores and joined Julius Thomas with a league-best nine touchdown catches through eight contests. The veteran tight end took down a historic mark in the second quarter when he passed Lance Alworth for the most receiving yards (9,584) in team history.
"Antonio Gates passed Lance Alworth for most receiving yards in #Chargers history. Alworth's mark held up for 45 years.
— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) October 24, 2014"
Malcom Floyd, who injured his shoulder making this amazing catch, had four receptions for 58 yards and Eddie Royal chipped in 29 yards on three catches. Once again, it was another quiet night for Ladarius Green (one ball for nine yards), who continues to get no love in this offense.
Grade: B
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
The offensive line needed to have a good game after what happened last week against the Kansas City Chiefs, but it was more of the same on Thursday.
Branden Oliver paid the price most of the night for a lackluster push up front as the Chargers managed 61 yards rushing on 15 attempts. Solomon Wilcots of NFL.com broke down some of the offensive line struggles in the first quarter in this informative video.
For the second week in a row, D.J. Fluker was beaten in pass protection, this time by Von Miller. Terrance Knighton and Derek Wolfe, who overpowered the interior of the O-line, also combined for a sack.
Shuffling at right guard continued between Chris Watt and Johnnie Troutman, which has been a noticeable trend the past couple weeks. Either the coaching staff wants to keep fresh legs at that position or they're having trouble picking a permanent starter.
"Chargers RG: Chris Watt played 40 snaps, Johnnie Troutman 22 Career high for both total snaps and % of teams snaps.
— Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) October 24, 2014"
Grade: D
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Kendall Reyes had the lone hit on Peyton Manning, and to no surprise, the Broncos quarterback came away with a clean jersey after Thursday's game. Reyes and Corey Liuget were foiled in pressuring Manning and Ronnie Hillman ended up having the best game of his career courtesy of a Denver offensive line that had no trouble getting movement in the trenches.
Through eight games, Liuget and Reyes have just 3.5 sacks between them after registering 10.5 the year before. What was once a strength of the Chargers defense in seasons past has faded away in 2014.
Grade: C-
Linebacker
6 of 10
The closest Dwight Freeney got to Peyton Manning was probably shaking hands before and after the game, as he was kept from sacking his former teammate. Freeney, though, continues to be San Diego's most efficient defender in getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
"Despite his 2 sacks, only 3 defenders have more QB pressures this season than Dwight Freeney.
— Pete Damilatis (@PFF_Pete) October 24, 2014"
Donald Butler, who is stringing together bad weeks, looked nothing like the big-money player San Diego paid for in the offseason. On top of a dumb unnecessary roughness penalty, Butler struggled to get off blocks and looked uninspired at times.
"Chargers used to have an LB named Donald Butler. Whatever happened to him?
— Eric Stangel (@EricStangel) October 24, 2014"
Defending against the run was not a strong suit of the linebacking corps either, as Hillman cruised to 109 yards rushing against lackluster efforts (watch as all four LBs get blocked, or break containment in Freeney's case).
Grade: D
Secondary
7 of 10
Jason Verrett couldn't stop Emmanuel Sanders, Richard Marshall couldn't and neither could Shareece Wright. The Denver wideout caught nine passes for 120 yards and three touchdowns, and his cohort, Demaryius Thomas, added another 105 yards on eight catches.
I wasn't expecting a whole lot from this group considering who the opposing quarterback was, but Thursday's game exposed the Chargers secondary for what it was without Brandon Flowers and a healthy Jason Verrett—average, maybe even below that. Granted it's Manning and the league's best passing attack, but Marshall and Wright looked nothing like the duo that held their own against the Broncos last year on Thursday Night Football.
Even with Verrett on the field, the Chargers couldn't stop plays that burned them in the past. Sanders' first score came on an extended play that allowed him to get behind the secondary courtesy of Manning rolling to his right. Derek Carr and the Oakland Raiders executed a similar strategy in Week 6 with a touchdown to Andre Holmes.
Verrett was limited against Denver and eventually came out of the game still feeling the effects of a bum shoulder.
"Jason Verrett is done for night. Standing on sideline in street clothes, left shoulder in a sling.
— Michael Gehlken (@UTgehlken) October 24, 2014"
Jahleel Addae will also be a name to watch on the injury report in the coming days after suffering a bizarre stinger.
The safety took a blow to the head on San Diego's first defensive series and was subject to a scary moment later in the game when another hit to the head left him dazed and caused odd bodily behavior. Addae told reporters he was evaluated by the training staff and passed the league-mandated concussion test.
Grade: D
Special Teams
8 of 10
Nick Novak was never called upon for field-goal duty against the Broncos, but he converted all three of his extra-point attempts. Mike Scifres added his 15th punt inside the 20, tying him for league-best
Keenan Allen had San Diego's only return on the night (a six-yard runback on a punt).
Kick coverage nearly came up with a big play in the second quarter when Kavell Conner ripped the ball loose from Andre Caldwell's grasp on a kick return. Refs initially ruled it a fumble but a review after the play deemed that Caldwell's forearm was down.
Grade: B
Coaching
9 of 10
It was another rough week for Mike McCoy as he failed to outcoach his former boss on Thursday. The Chargers tried to instill the same game plan that worked against Denver last season, but they simply didn't have the personnel to do so.
Frank Reich was forced to abandon the run for the second week in a row and his passing attack couldn't put up the points it needed to keep Denver in its sights. Frustration was clearly evident, and at one point Philip Rivers was so heated by the inconsistency, he started yelling at his helmet (true story).
Rivers and McCoy were also not on the same page about a timeout in the third quarter.
I will, however, credit the coaching staff for opting to go for it on fourth down when the Chargers were trailing 28-7. The gamble paid off and McCoy looked good for it.
John Pagano was again left shorthanded in the secondary with Brandon Flowers inactive and Jason Verrett limited. San Diego forced the Broncos to punt on their first two drives, but Denver converted touchdowns on five of the next six drives to pull away.
Grade: C-
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Grade |
| Quarterback | C |
| Running Back | C- |
| WR and TE | B |
| Offensive Line | D |
| Defensive Line | C- |
| Linebacker | D |
| Secondary | D |
| Special Teams | B |
| Coaching | C- |
| Cumulative Grade | C- |
Injuries have clearly begun to take their toll in San Diego's previous two losses, but a long duration of rest is on the horizon.
"After tonight, #Chargers will play just once in next 23 days. No team has ever had that long of span in regular season. Chance to heal.
— Annie Heilbrunn (@annieheilbrunn) October 24, 2014"
The extra time off could be enough to return some depth at the running back position (Ryan Mathews, Donald Brown) and possibly help at linebacker (Manti Te'o) and corner (Brandon Flowers, Jason Verrett).
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