Injuries Catch Up with Chargers in Big Thursday Night Loss to Broncos

The San Diego Chargers won’t use injuries as an excuse for getting blown out Thursday night in Denver, 35-21, but there is no denying that the health of certain key players was a big factor. It’s hard enough to slow down Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning with a healthy defense, and it proved to be impossible with one that was banged-up.

Injuries—specifically in the secondary—finally caught up with the Chargers in a short week against a tough opponent. San Diego has been battling injuries to key players for a few games, but until five days ago the team was 5-1 and quarterback Philip Rivers was an MVP candidate.

Manning even acknowledged San Diego’s injuries in the secondary in his interview with CBS' Tracy Wolfson as he walked off the field. The Denver quarterback knows the game would have been much different had the Chargers been at full strength. Marty Caswell had this impression of Chargers head coach Mike McCoy:

Cornerback Brandon Flowers missed the game with a concussion, and cornerback Jason Verrett surprisingly started the game but couldn’t finish due to an injured shoulder. Without them, Manning easily threw for 286 yards and three touchdowns.

The Chargers were powerless to stop wide receivers Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas, who combined for 225 yards on 17 receptions to go with three touchdowns. Sanders was particularly destructive, catching all three of the scores.

Richard Marshall and Shareece Wright struggled to cover Sanders and Thomas without yielding big catches or committing penalties. Having them both playing at the same time gave the Chargers flashbacks to 2013, when the pass defense allowed 8.0 yards per attempt and a 66.4 percent completion percentage on the season.

Verrett’s effort was appreciated by his teammates, but it was clear the rookie corner was playing at far less than 100 percent. The Chargers felt like he was a better option than Marshall until Sanders caught three passes on him on the first drive of the second quarter—including a two-yard touchdown in the back of the end zone.

"He fought and gave us all he could," safety/defensive leader Eric Weddle said, via Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego. "I'm proud of him. He tried his heart out. That's all you can ask for."

A player pushing through a shoulder injury that ultimately required a sling is one thing, but the Chargers may also be criticized for their handling of safety Jahleel Addae after two scary on-field incidents.

In the first quarter Thursday night, Addae collided with Sanders and lay face down on the grass for several seconds before he was able to get up.  In the fourth quarter, Addae slammed into a running back and was clearly shaken up.

According to Gehlken, Addae passed a sideline concussion test and suffered a stinger on the fourth-quarter play, but both were scary situations. Due to all the other injuries, the Chargers weren’t able to take Addae out of the game for precautionary reasons, which was something that might have been wise even if they followed protocol and he was technically cleared to play.

The Chargers have also been without running back Ryan Mathews (knee) and linebacker Melvin Ingram (hip), two players they hope to get back at some point this season. Ingram is on injured reserve with the designation that he can return, but the Chargers could have used the added pass rush against Manning, who stayed clean in the pocket all night.

Mathews could have helped fuel a run game that suddenly stagnated behind rookie Branden Oliver. Not including Ronnie Brown’s draw play for eight yards at the end of the first half or Rivers’ 17-yard scramble, the Chargers' rushing offense consisted of 13 carries for Oliver for just 36 yards. One run was 23 yards, which means Oliver’s other 12 carries netted just 13 yards.

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The Chargers now have a long week before playing the Miami Dolphins and then the bye week to try to get their players healthy before back-to-back home games starting November 16 against the Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Rams.

If the team isn’t healthy by then, it could be in big trouble. The injuries have clearly hurt the Chargers against better competition, and the final five games are against tough opponents. Three of those games are on the road.

The Chargers also have to be prepared for the fact that some currently healthy players can get injured in the time it takes them to get some of their other guys back. The depth at some positions is not good enough to overcome multiple injuries.   

With a 1-2 record in the division, the Chargers are already in a bad spot. As things currently stand, both the Broncos and Chiefs own the tiebreakers over them. The Broncos come to San Diego in Week 15, but the Chargers have to go to Kansas City two weeks later.

With only one game in the next 23 days, the Chargers have time to lick their wounds. If they can get healthy, they can certainly still make a playoff push. Despite the back-to-back losses, they are 5-3 and still have a healthy Rivers, who carried the team to the postseason in 2013.