Eric D. Williams 9y

W2W4: San Diego Chargers

DENVER -- The San Diego Chargers (5-2) look to rebound from last week’s loss to Kansas City in a nationally televised contest against the AFC West-leading Denver Broncos (5-1) at 8:25 p.m. ET at Sports Authority Field on Thursday.

But who are we kidding here?

Short-handed traveling to Denver on a short week, the Chargers have no shot against the Broncos, right?

That is the prevailing thought nationally, but I’m here to provide the blueprint to another improbable victory against the mighty Broncos that will have NFL fans talking about what bolo tie Philip Rivers is wearing during his postgame interview on national television.

The game has the top two quarterbacks in the league in Total QBR right now facing each other -- Denver’s Peyton Manning (88.9) and San Diego’s Rivers (86.2).

They are 5-5 all-time against each other according to ESPN Stats & Info, with Rivers holding a 2-1 edge in the postseason.

"I never feel like I’m playing the opposing quarterback, but there are certain games and opposing quarterbacks that are more special than others, and that’s just being honest," Rivers said. "Playing Brett Favre in Green Bay and when he was with the Jets, going against a Peyton Manning-led team. There’s no denying that there’s a little more -- shoot, I don’t know what the word is -- awesomeness to those games.”

Here are three things we’ll be watching for on Sunday.

1. Manning’s kryptonite? That would be Chargers defensive coordinator John Pagano, who has managed to hold Denver’s offense to an average of 24 points a game in San Diego’s past three contests against the Broncos. The key for San Diego has been Pagano creating a muddled picture for Manning with blitz and disguise, and his defense getting off of the field on third down. The Chargers held the Broncos to 5-of-17 (29.4 percent) on third down in two games during the regular season, but Denver was 9-of-13 (69.2) in the San Diego's 24-17 playoff loss in Denver. The Chargers have to get off the field on third down and do a much better job in the red zone. San Diego’s defense is last in the NFL in red zone defense, giving up touchdowns 73.3 percent of the time.

"I’m not in his head," Pagano said. "Our teams and the different types of players that we’ve had throughout the year really strive on going out and executing at a high level. We’ve had great guys that truly understand him. And really, we try to go out and have fun with it.

"But it’s always a challenge. It’s always tough. He’s one of the best that ever played this game, and we respect that. And we go out and give him the respect that he deserves, because he’s a great player in this league."

2. Control tempo: In the two regular-season matchups last season, the Chargers held the Broncos to an average time of possession of 21:34. According to ESPN Stats & Info, those two games represent the shortest time of possession the Broncos have had since Manning’s arrival in 2012. Along with limiting Manning’s possessions, the Chargers can accomplish that task again with a steady diet of running back Branden Oliver. In Denver’s five losses since 2013, the Broncos’ defense has allowed an average of 136 rushing yards per contest, on an average of 34 carries a game. Those are the numbers to keep an eye on for San Diego’s offense.

3. Win the turnover battle: The Chargers have committed just three turnovers through their first seven games, still the fewest in the NFL. According to Elias, that is the fewest turnovers by a team in its first seven games in modern NFL history (since 1933). The Broncos are 5-5 since 2013 when they lose the turnover battle. The Chargers need to take care of the football, and force a couple turnovers in order to steal a few possessions from Manning and the Broncos.

^ Back to Top ^