Denver Broncos vs. San Diego Chargers: Denver Grades, Notes and Quotes

The Denver Broncos followed up their impressive win last Sunday night over the New England Patriots with a 17-3 road win over the San Diego Chargers in Week 13.

The game featured no scoring by either team in the second half, but that was largely due to the fact that the Denver defense held the Chargers offense in check.

San Diego came into the game ranked No. 2 in the league in passing offense, but Denver held Philip Rivers and his team to 179 yards passing. The Broncos also forced three big turnovers.

It wasn't a dominant performance for Denver by any stretch, but the score was much closer than the game would indicate. Denver was never in jeopardy of losing the game and was in control throughout.

With the win and another loss by the Patriots on Sunday, the Broncos have climbed into the No. 2 spot in the AFC playoff race. A huge game with the Cincinnati Bengals—currently the AFC's No. 1 seed—awaits in Week 16. However, the Broncos have two big games before that, starting with a battle with the Oakland Raiders next Sunday.

But first, let's look deeper into Sunday's game against San Diego by handing out grades for each position and looking at other notes coming out of Week 13.

Positional Grades

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Quarterback: B-

Brock Osweiler is 3-0 as the starting quarterback, and the team is clearly rallying around him. He didn't do anything great on Sunday, but he didn't do anything to hurt the team, either. He was able to create a quick connection with Demaryius Thomas, but he also threw an interception in the end zone on a pass that was badly underthrown. Still, Denver will gladly take the young player's progression at this point.

Running Back: B+

The Broncos knew they could run the ball at the Chargers in this game, and they did a good job of it, racking up 134 yards on the ground. C.J. Anderson ran the ball well before leaving the game with an ankle injury. Ronnie Hillman was given 19 carries but ran just 56 yards. Juwan Thompson was a real bright spot, gaining 27 yards on the ground. He also caught a pass for 14 yards in relief of Anderson.

Wide Receivers: C+

Thomas bounced back from his horrid one-catch performance against New England by grabbing six passes for 61 yards and a touchdown in this game. Emmanuel Sanders, who played well last week, was quiet on Sunday, catching just three passes. No other wide receiver caught a pass, something that has been a problem all season for this team.

Tight Ends: B-

Denver tight ends were targeted just seven times in the passing game. Vernon Davis had two catches for 25 yards but left the game with a concussion which occurred on the last play of the first half. Virgil Green had a big catch that went for 22 yards. Denver really needs to use him more as a receiver.

Offensive Line: B-

The Broncos opened up some nice holes in the running game, but everyone has run on the Chargers this year. Though Osweiler was sacked just one time, he is taking some big shots this season. Teams seem to be having success coming right up the middle and getting free hits on the quarterback.

Defensive Line: B+

San Diego did find a little success running the ball, gaining 93 yards on the ground. They just don't seem to trust it enough and feel like Rivers needs to throw the ball all over the field. Malik Jackson had a nice game, getting some pressure on the quarterback and knocking down two passes.

Linebackers: A

Von Miller has been as good as any defensive player in the NFL over the last several weeks, and he wreaked havoc on the Chargers on Sunday. Miller was all over Rivers with pressure, getting two sacks and knocking down a pass. He also had a fumble recovery on a play where he just took the ball out of Melvin Gordon's arms. Lately, teams have been trying to take advantage of Denver's linebackers in coverage. Brandon Marshall was beaten badly by Ladarius Green on one play, but Danny Trevathan made his second interception in three weeks. He took it back 25 yards for a touchdown to put Denver up 14-0.

Secondary: A+

The Broncos secondary has been nothing short of excellent this season, and this game was no different. Though San Diego was unable to challenge Denver down the field due to missing players such as Keenan Allen, the Broncos did a great job shutting down the passing attack. Rivers completed just four passes to wide receivers, and Stevie Johnson didn't catch a pass. Darian Stewart has been terrific against tight ends the last few weeks, providing hard hits. David Bruton, playing in place of the injured T.J. Ward, led the team with 12 tackles.

Special Teams: B-

There wasn't much of note as far as special teams go in this game, though Brandon McManus did miss a field goal from 52 yards out. Omar Bolden had a nice punt return of 21 yards on the only chance he got.

Coaching: B+

It has been nice to see the bootleg back in the Denver playbook, and it was called on many occasions in this game. Wade Phillips called a good game on the defensive side of the ball as well, frustrating Rivers with his choices of coverage and pressure.

The coaching staff should work on getting more players involved on offense to give Osweiler as many options as he can get. Only four players had more than one catch for the Broncos in this game.

Important Note No. 1: Three Key Players Leave with Injuries

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Though Denver picked up its 10th win of the season, it didn't come without some cost. Anderson, Davis and Trevathan all left the game with injuries and did not return.

Anderson left early in the game with an ankle injury, and Davis and Trevathan were both forced to leave with symptoms of a concussion.

Though the team can't afford to lose any of these players for any length of time, the injury to Anderson has to be the most concerning. Hillman and Thompson are the only other running backs on the active roster, and Anderson is heating up at the right time.

As for Trevathan and Davis, both will have to pass the league's concussion protocol before getting back on the field. In the case of Davis, the Broncos could turn to Green to fill in as more of a receiver. Losing Trevathan would be tough as the inside linebacker positions are a key to Phillips' defense.

Important Note No. 2: Denver Moves Up to AFC's No. 2 Seed

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By virtue of their win on Sunday and the Patriots' loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Broncos have vaulted into the No. 2 spot in the AFC playoff race. Denver and New England have identical 10-2 records, but Denver holds the tiebreaker due to last week's win. On top of that, the two teams seem to be going in much different directions.

With only four games left in the regular season, the Broncos have put themselves in a great spot to at least have a first-round bye in the playoffs. A game against the Bengals in Week 16 could determine home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

That the team was blasted by the Kansas City Chiefs at home just three weeks ago seems somewhat amazing.

Important Note No. 3: Denver Extends Road Winning Streak in the Division

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Can you believe the Broncos have now won 15 road games in a row within the AFC West. That seems almost unheard of in today's NFL, but it is true. The streak dates back to the 2011 season.

The next-best streak belongs to the San Francisco 49ers, who won 12 straight divisional road games in the NFC West between 1987 and 1990. That team also had Joe Montana and Jerry Rice.

The Broncos will take that streak into next season, as they have already played San Diego, Kansas City and the Oakland Raiders on the road this season, winning each of those games.

Quote No. 1: Darian Stewart

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Denver safety Darian Stewart was interviewed in the locker room following the game, via the team's official website. He was asked about the overall defensive performance and holding Rivers and his offense to three points.

"It was big, man. It's a division game and we were ramped up to play this game after the big win last week. We wanted to come in and not disappoint."

Stewart was then asked about the absence of Ward and if he felt he had to step up as a result.

"I think so, but we try to do that stuff every week. Someone else has to step up when you lose a player like that. The guys came in and stepped up. Josh Bush came in and put some critical minutes in. It's a good win overall, and everybody pitched in."

Stewart did step up in Ward's absence. He played San Diego tight end Antonio Gates well. Gates had three touchdowns against the Broncos in two games last season. Stewart also had two passes defensed and a fumble recovery after Bradley Roby made a big hit on Malcom Floyd to jar the ball loose.

Quote No. 2: Von Miller

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Following a game in which he had two sacks of Rivers, Miller addressed the media, via the team's official website.

Miller was asked about what it is that makes this defense so good.

"I really think it's the guys behind the starters. There's a lot of talk about Chris (Harris) and (Aqib) Talib and T.J. (Ward), but David Bruton, he's playing out of his mind right now. Bradley Roby, he's coming into his own. Shaq (Barrett), Shane (Ray), Lerentee (McCray), Corey Nelson, all of these guys come in and make this defense what it is, so I'm really proud of those guys."

On San Diego's final offensive drive, Miller and Rivers appeared to exchange some words. Miller was asked about that.

"I don't know, I don't think he was happy with the cologne I was wearing. I was wearing a lot of it, and I guess he wasn't happy with it. I was on him at the end of the game, everybody doesn't like my smell."

At first you'd think Miller was joking with that statement. But as he continued his answer, he certainly didn't seem to be.

Quote No. 3: Gary Kubiak

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Following the game, Denver head coach Gary Kubiak assessed his team's performance in his postgame press conference, via the team's official website.

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We came out gangbusters, playing really well as a team. I thought we looked a little tired at times, but we kept battling and sometimes on the road like that the key is not making mistakes and playing great defense, and other than the one mistake, throwing the interception in the end zone, we stayed pretty consistent. You know, I'm proud of the win, it was a great win, played great defense all day long.

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Soon thereafter, Kubiak was asked about Osweiler's performance.

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Well I think he continues to grow. I think he did some young things today. I think that's how I would describe it. But the thing I really like about him is he learns from mistakes. He's very good in conversations with me and he wants the ball in situations. When you talk to him about this or this, he always wants the aggressive approach. You know, I feel really good and for him to play on the road two out of three weeks, and for him to find a way to get it done with this team, there's some good progress going on.

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