Denver Broncos @ San Diego Chargers -- A Primer

by John Bena on Dec 24, 2008 8:29 PM MST in 2008 Denver Broncos Game Previews

Broncosatchargers_medium

With the AFC West title and a playoff berth at stake, the Denver Broncos (8-7) face the San Diego Chargers (7-8) this week in a nationally televised Sunday Night Football contest at Qualcomm Stadium. Kickoff is set for 5:15 p.m. PST, and the game will be televised on NBC with Al Michaels, John Madden and Andrea Kremer calling the action.

It appeared the Broncos were on their way to clinching the AFC West title last week after they took a 13-0 lead against the Bills in the second quarter, but Buffalo rallied to earn a 30-23 victory. Denver controlled most phases of the game, registering 532 yards of offense (7.3 per play) and limiting the Bills to just 275 yards and 26:49 of possession. But the Broncos had two turnovers and struggled in the red zone, scoring touchdowns on only two of their six trips inside the 20-yard line.

Despite being forced to place 16 players on season-ending reserve lists due to injuries, including seven running backs, and one of the league's youngest rosters, the Broncos travel to San Diego having held sole possession of first place in the AFC West following every game this year. A victory against the Chargers would make the Broncos just the fifth division winner in the 16-game era (since 1978) to maintain sole possession of first place in its division following every game.

Denver faces a challenge to achieve that distinction against the Chargers, who have won their last three games. San Diego's previous two wins have come on the road, including last week's 41-24 victory against a Buccaneers squad fighting for a playoff berth.

The two clubs' first meeting in Week 2 was one of the NFL's most memorable games this season with the Broncos defeating the Chargers 39-38 at INVESCO Field at Mile High. Following Jay Cutler's 4-yard touchdown pass to Eddie Royal with 24 seconds left, the Broncos became just the third team in NFL history to give up the opportunity for a tie and win a game with a successful two-point conversion when Cutler found Royal again in the end zone.

Tweet Comment 5 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

9-7

I would rather have a 9-7 (Winning record after win) Broncos team represent the AFC West than a possible 8-8 Chargers team. Of course, I have some bias towards the team I want to win.

Victor Frankl:

What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him. What he needs is not the discharge of tension at any cost, but the call of a potential meaning waiting to be fulfilled by him.

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.

by wyoeng on Dec 24, 2008 9:33 PM MST reply actions

I personally do not have too good of a feeling here

…primarily due to the Defense, because even if the Offense scores and Defense cannot get stops it will be a very long day. Plus we cannot expect the Offense to keep scoring on every drive… Throughout this season the D has played pretty decent some games under certain circumstances, but when you absolutely need a stop, and without getting lucky, they have not stopped anyone this season.

I just hope somehow we come up with a W in this game, and miraculously our D could come up with some key stops, while O keeps the pressure on the SD’s O.

Go Broncos, and paleaasse get it done…

by isiddiqi on Dec 24, 2008 11:42 PM MST reply actions

one thing

if we rush 4 down-linemen all day and do nothing else, rivers & co. will eat us alive. i’m afraid our only chance of victory in this one is not going to be in the gameplan. this could get ugly, and someone needs to tote the rock. but it will be our defense that needs to make this a game, if they are allowed to. i’m sorry, that is just the way i see it. please give this team a chance at success, that is all i ask. pressure the offense, and run the ball for 4 quarters. do that, and let the chips fall where they may. i can live with that.

hear me, perpetrators of bread crime, your punishment is at hand.
taste my blintzkrieg!

by davecheffy on Dec 25, 2008 12:10 AM MST reply actions

+1

by DjBroncos on Dec 25, 2008 12:47 PM MST up reply actions

Everybody is writing us off...

This is when we play our best – see the Jets in week 13. Nobody in the MSM thinks we can win this game. Hopefully the boys can pull it off, go into the game with a chip on their shoulders and play very very well.

Of course that reasoning didn’t work against Carolina, but they are a far superior team than the Chargers.

How come there is no Charger fan on here to answer our questions? Too much animosity? :D

by CalgaryFan on Dec 26, 2008 12:25 PM MST reply actions