It’s hard to
believe that it is gameday it is but these Thursday night games roll around
very quickly especially after a Sunday night game. The Broncos face yet another tough test as
they face off against the division rival San Diego Chargers. Every division game carries extra importance,
but that is especially true when you are facing off against one of the best
teams in the league. A win would put
the Broncos in great position to win the division and secure home-field
advantage throughout the playoffs. The
Broncos players have said all week that they will come out ready to play after
facing a short week. They were faced
with the exact same situation last year and laid an egg against this same
Chargers team.
Keys to Victory
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| Denver Broncos |
To win this one
the Broncos will have to come ready to play as they are facing another great
opponent. It seems like I say that every
week but the Broncos really do play tough team after tough team. While it is hard right now these tough tests
could really benefit this team down the road and especially come playoff
time. I think the fact that the Broncos
get this game at home should be a big plus for them. The chargers have also suffered quite a few
injuries that will hurt their chances in this game.
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| Denver Broncos |
One key to this
game will be the Broncos run defense.
The chargers will look to control the ball to keep Peyton Manning on the
sidelines for as long as possible. This
was the strategy they used last year to beat the Broncos, and they have used
this strategy this season to beat teams like Seattle. The Broncos defense has to stop the run to
force the Chargers to make big throws on third and long. Although stopping the pass could be easier
said than done. Philip Rivers has been
one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL this season and is playing at an elite
level. Denver will have it’s hands full
with the Chargers offense in this one.
Look for Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware to try to get pressure on Rivers
early to try to make him uncomfortable in the pocket.
The pressure
will also be on the Broncos secondary as they will have to try to slow down the
pass catching weapons that Philip Rivers has to throw to. They will have their hands full with players
like Keenan Allen, Antonio Gates, and Eddie Royal. I look for Chris Harris to have another great
game. Last week against the 49ers he was
aggressive at the point of attack, coming up and making some pick time stops on
quick screens to receivers. He has been
phenomenal coming off of his ACL surgery and is looking like an even better
player than the one we saw last year. Between
Harris and Aqib Talib the Broncos have one of the best cornerback duos in the
league. Look for these two players to
have a huge game, and expect one of them to make a game changing play in this
one.
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| Denver Broncos |
Offensively the
Broncos just have to keep things rolling.
Over the last two weeks the Broncos offense has looked like it has found
a rhythm. The running game has been the
most impressive part of the offense so far in the last few games. Early on I was concerned about the running
game but Ronnie Hillman and Juwan Thompson have made some big plays in the
running game over the last few weeks.
Hillman has shown great explosiveness to the hole and has shown the kind
of burst that you like to see from running backs. If the offensive line can create decent holes
for him against the Chargers he could have some big gains on the ground. I am looking for Hillman to have a major
impact in the passing game this week. It
looks like each week he is getting more comfortable in this offense, and I
think he will have a big impact in the passing game.
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| Denver Broncos |
I am looking for the Broncos passing game to have a big game as the Chargers will be
without several key players in the secondary.
Cornerback Brandon Flowers has already been ruled out with a concussion,
and rookie corner Jason Verrett is questionable as well. If Verrett is unable to play in this one, the
Chargers secondary could be in for a very long day. When I watch chargers game Verrett already
appears to be their top cover corner, and losing him would be a major blow to
the Chargers. Look for Peyton Manning to
test the secondary early and often in this one.
One player who should continue his recent success is Demaryius Thomas. Thomas has been on an absolute terror lately,
and this should be an opportunity for him to continue his recent
dominance.
Prediction
These Thursday
night games are very hard to predict as you really can never tell which team is
going to come out ready to play. It is
also hard to gameplan when you only have three days to prepare for the upcoming
game. I think that these teams will both
show up ready to play in this one, as I am sure they understand the
significance in terms of the division standing.
In the end I think the injuries that the Chargers are facing on defense
will be to much for them to overcome. I
expect Peyton Manning to have a big day against a weakened Chargers secondary. However, I expect Philip Rivers and the
Chargers to put up quite a fight in this one.
They are a very talented team and will be able to stay with the Broncos
for most of the game. In the end I think
the Broncos having this game at home will be the biggest difference.
Final Score- Broncos 34 Chargers 27
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