San Diego Chargers vs. Denver Broncos: 10 Questions for Monday Night Football
The Denver Broncos (3-6) visit the San Diego Chargers (4-5) in an AFC West, Week 11, Monday Night Football showdown.
Philip Rivers leads the top-ranked passing attack in the NFL, while Kyle Orton (not Tim Tebow) has guided the third-ranked passing offense.
That—combined with Denver's mediocre secondary—might seem to forecast a shootout on ESPN tonight. But don't forget that the Chargers boast the league's best pass defense and third-best rush defense.
Everybody knows that San Diego should be able to win handily. But the Broncos are coming off of a 49-point performance over Kansas City, and the Chargers have put up some puzzling performances this season.
This game has plenty to watch for. Here are the 10 most pressing questions about tonight's matchup.
1. Who Will Have the Better Day: Orton or Rivers?
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Rivers leads the NFL with 2,944 passing yards.
But Orton is a not-so-distant second with 2,806.
For the record, Rivers needs to average just a hair over 305 yards per game the rest of the season to break Dan Marino's single season record of 5,084, so the record is well within reach.
Orton even has a chance, too, needing just over 325 per game over his final seven contests.
Both have taken a group of no-name receivers and led them to glory, but who will have the better game tonight?
The smart money says Rivers, considering that Orton has to go up against San Diego's top-ranked secondary.
2. Will Denver Play Like They Did Last Week?
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The Broncos manhandled Kansas City 49-29 last week, snapping a four-game losing streak.
If they play like that, Denver should be able to beat a San Diego team that loves to shoot itself in the foot, especially on special teams.
3. How Will the Chargers' Special Teams Perform?
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The Chargers have made key mistakes on special teams week after week, leading them to a 4-5 record despite having the league's top offense and defense (in yards per game).
To get an idea of how bad their special teams have been, check out their special team' DVOA (courtesy of Football Outsiders).
They are last in the league with a -15.5 DVOA. When you compare that to the next-worst team (the Giants) at -6.2 percent, you see how much of a difference their poor special teams play has made.
San Diego really should have done more to keep former Charger and special-teams whiz Kassim Osgood, who left for Jacksonville last offseason.
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4. Will Either Team Do Anything Running the Ball?
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The Chargers rank just 17th in rushing offense, and the Broncos are dead last.
And with Ryan Mathews listed as doubtful for tonight's tilt, the Chargers will likely have to get by with Mike Tolbert and Darren Sproles handling the rushing load.
Knowshon Moreno finally had a good game last week, but he has struggled early in his career.
Both teams are better when they aren't one-dimensional on offense.
But I'm not sure either team has the talent to produce much in the running game tonight.
5. How Will Legedu Naanee and Malcom Floyd Perform?
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The Chargers have been getting by with no-name receivers (Seyi Ajirotutu, anyone?) as their top guns battle injuries.
But they will likely get two key contributors back this week in Legedu Naanee and Malcom Floyd.
Neither is a burner, but both have good size and strength and are capable of torching the Broncos' struggling secondary that will be without Andre Goodman.
As long as they are still on the same page as Philip Rivers after missing a few weeks, the duo should put up big numbers.
6. Will Antonio Gates Play?
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Antonio Gates, the best tight end in the NFL, is doubtful for the game with a foot injury.
You can never count Gates out, but it doesn't seem likely that he'll suit up.
With their star tight end out, the Chargers receivers (and backup TE Randy McMichael) will need to step up in a big way to fill the void.
7. Can the Chargers Stop Brandon Lloyd?
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Brandon Lloyd has gone from a perennial underachiever to becoming one of the league's top receivers.
His 20.2 yards per catch puts him fourth in the NFL. He is second in the league in yards with a remarkable 968.
Lloyd has always had a knack for the spectacular catch, but he has finally put it all together this year.
If the Chargers can't stop him from going deep, the Broncos could pull off the upset.
8. Who Will Win the Turnover Battle?
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Both teams have struggled with turnovers, not forcing very many, but giving quite a few up.
The Chargers are second in the league with 13 lost fumbles, and the Broncos are in ninth, with eight.
Rivers has also been slightly erratic at times, with eight interceptions. Orton only has five.
The Chargers have only recovered three fumbles on defense (worst in the NFL).
The Broncos, only five.
Denver is near the bottom of the league with five interceptions on defense, and San Diego is only slightly ahead with eight.
If one team finally steps up and forces some turnovers, they'll have an enormous advantage.
9. What are The Stakes?
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Denver is 3-6, but will only be two games behind the Chiefs with a win.
So their playoff aspirations would still be valid if they can pull this one off. But if not, they'll be three back and all but out of the race.
The Chargers can close the gap to one game with the Chiefs. With three divisional games remaining, they'd pretty much control their own destiny for the division title.
But a loss will slash their hopes severely.
This is a must-win game for Denver, and a near-must-win game for San Diego.
10. Who's Gonna Win?
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San Diego is the better team on both sides of the ball.
But their weak turnover margin and horrific special teams are huge areas of concern.
Denver's passing offense is good enough to test the Chargers' talented secondary, but they'll be completely one-dimensional.
I see the Broncos losing unless they can force turnovers, something that hasn't happened often this season.
My prediction calls for a fairly routine win for the Chargers. But only if they win the turnover battle, which is no guarantee.
Prediction: Chargers 34, Broncos 26
Comments?
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What do you think?
Who's going to win tonight?
Voice your opinion in the comments.
Matt Rudnitsky is a student at the University of Michigan and a Featured Columnist/Writing Intern at Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Mattrud
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