Broncos vs. Chargers: 10 Bold Predictions for Monday Night Football
Broncos vs. Chargers: Tonight's Monday Night Football game will feature a matchup between two divisional rivals.
It looks like the Broncos' playoff chances are slim to none at this point, but the Chargers are making a charge—pun intended—for the AFC West's spot in the playoffs.
Though the Kansas City Chiefs got a nice win over the Arizona Cardinals yesterday, no team has really taken a hold of this division.
This game will be huge for the Chargers if they want to make a late playoff run.
So what will happen when they clash with the Broncos tonight in prime time?
Let's take a look at 10 bold predictions for Monday Night Football: Broncos vs. Chargers.
10. A Monster Performance from a Wide Receiver (Or Tight End)
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Take your pick which pass catcher will go off tonight.
I'm personally going with either Antonio Gates (if he plays) or Brandon Lloyd to stockpile stats so good that their fantasy football owners will be probably shedding tears—happy tears, that is.
Now I don't know if we'll see a Greg Jennings- or Steve Johnson-type performance, but those are pretty rare anyway.
Gates (again, if he plays) and Lloyd will catch their fare share of passes, though, and I see at least one of them catching two touchdowns and going over 100 receiving yards.
What the hell, let's go with Lloyd.
9. Tim Tebow Will Score
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I bet Tim Tebow wishes that Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson still called his games.
They make Tebow sound incredible no matter how little he plays.
Sorry for the rant. Anyway, Tebow has scored in two straight games and even scored two (one passing, one rushing) touchdowns in the team's last game.
I look for that trend to continue as the Broncos put Tebow in on the goal line and have him score his fifth career touchdown.
8. The Chargers Will Get Another Punt Blocked
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This prediction is based on two things.
First, I just have a feeling it's going to happen. Second, San Diego has been the king of getting punts blocked this season.
Philip Rivers might as well just hurl the ball down the field on fourth downs and hope some Broncos defensive back is dumb enough to pick the pass off.
At least that way the Chargers have zero chance of getting their punt blocked.
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7. The Chargers Will Top 100 Rushing Yards
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Oh, Ryan Mathews, where the hell have you been all season?
I'm just glad that I resisted temptation and passed on you in my fantasy football draft because you've still failed to top 100 rushing yards in a single game.
And you're probably not playing tonight.
That's a shame because whoever is running the ball for San Diego will hit the century mark against Denver's 31st-ranked rushing defense, which gives up 143.1 yards per game.
6. At Least Three Combined Turnovers
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These two teams struggle mightily in the turnover department.
Denver sits at -3 in that category, and San Diego sits at -9.
In fact, the Chargers and Broncos have combined for a staggering 34 turnovers.
They'll have at least three in this game, and I assume one of them will be a fumble by San Diego—they have 14 on the season.
5. A Combined 60 Points at Least
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The latest over/under I've seen on this game is 50.5 points.
Well, thanks for giving me free money.
Denver gives up 28 points per game, San Diego scores 26.6 points per game and each team gives up about 22 points per game.
So by default, you could say that these two teams will score a minimum of 44 points.
I'll take the over in this game any day.
In fact, I'll go one step further and say the Broncos and Chargers will top 60 total points.
4. The Chargers Will Win...and Cover the Spread
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Am I the only one who's thinking the Chargers are about to make another one of their patented late-season playoff runs?
San Diego is well aware that it has to win this game to stay on pace with the Raiders and the Chiefs, and the Chargers are a tough team to beat at home while Denver is just 1-3 on the road this season.
The Chargers are just too good on both sides of the ball to lose to a team like Denver.
San Diego should roll over the Broncos...and cover the nine-point spread in the process.
Prediction: Chargers 38, Broncos 27
3. Philip Rivers Will Take the Lead in the NFL MVP Race
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The Chargers are just 4-5, so Philip Rivers isn't getting much love in the MVP conversation.
Maybe he should.
The guy has played lights-out all season, even with injuries to several key offensive players, and is the only reason that San Diego has a chance at making the playoffs.
Rivers will put together another terrific performance tonight and jump some guy named Michael Vick in the MVP conversation.
After all, Vick may be on fire, but Rivers has played the entire season.
2. Both Quarterbacks Will Throw for More Than 300 Yards
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What do these two teams have in common?
An unhealthy obsession with throwing the football.
Seriously, Philip Rivers and Kyle Orton will be slinging the ball all over the field tonight. That's how these two teams roll.
San Diego actually boasts the league's No. 1 pass defense and Denver's isn't terrible (No. 19), but I'm still not even sure if this is a bold prediction, because we all know that the Broncos and Chargers live and die by the pass.
1. The Two Teams Will Combine for More Than 850 Total Yards of Offense
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I know, 850 yards is an incredibly random number to pick.
But these teams don't run the ball that much, so unless both quarterbacks throw for more than 400 yards, I don't see them topping 900 total offensive yards.
So why not 800?
Well, that's simply not quite as bold as 850 yards.
I'm going with the happy medium.
San Diego will top 450 yards and Denver will top 400 yards of offense. Hence, the prediction.
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