Horse Tracks: Five Things to watch for

1. Will there be a Thursday Night let down?:

We all know what happened last year on Thursday night against these same San Diego Chargers. The Broncos came out flat, and took a beating from the San Diego Chargers. Will that happen again this time?

Well naturally everyone on the Broncos side is saying the right things, but actions always speak louder then words. Will the Broncos come out flat after a short weeks rest, or will they come out firing like they did against the San Francisco 49ers.

2. Will Ronnie keep on running?:

The Broncos run game was flat when Montee Ball was running the ball for the Broncos. However ever since Hillman has taken over for Ball the Broncos running game has turned itself around. Hillman has been averaging 4.5 yards per carry for the Broncos.

The Chargers have been giving up 106.9 yards per game, so I'd look for Ronnie to continue doing well.

3. Pressuring Rivers:

If you pressure the quarterback in the NFL you're chances of winning go up(That's a made up stat that's probably true) dramatically. The Broncos have the top two sack leaders on their in Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware. Miller has 8 sacks(which leads the NFL) and Ware has 7(which is tied for 2nd in the NFL).

These guys will have to pressure Rivers consistently tonight if the Broncos want to win the game. If you give Rivers time he will pick apart your secondary.

4. The Paul Cornick experiment:

Last week the Broncos made the announcement that Chris Clark has been benched in favor for reserve tackle Paul Cornick against the 49ers. Well Cornick had a rough start with a false start, and gave up a sack.

Now Cornick will need to improve on that effort tonight against a good San Diego Chargers front seven. The Broncos really don't have much else at right tackle, so Cornick might be our best option.

5. Stopping the run:

When you face the San Diego Chargers you are going to see a heavy dose of the run game. It sets up everything for their offense. Also they use the run game to control the pace of the game, and control the clock. The Chargers running back position has been riddled with injuries with Danny Woodhead, Ryan Matthews and Donald Brown all missing extended periods of time(all missing tonight's game). Rookie running back Brandon Oliver has really stepped up in their absence. Oliver has averaged 4.7 yards per carry during the last three games for the Chargers.

Oliver has a tough test tonight as the Broncos rank 3rd in the NFL in rush defense by giving up only 74.3 yards per game from opponents. If the Broncos continue to slow down the run game I like their chances of winning tonight's game.

Horse Tracks:

• The Tennessee Titans plan to start rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger this Sunday.
• Some NFL trade rumors are swirling around Titans wide receiver Nate Washington.
• Oakland Raiders defensive end Lamar Woodley is out for the year with a biceps injury.
• The Patriots told star cornerback Darrelle Revis to stay home due to his tardiness.
• Texans linebacker Brian Cushing is out at least one week with a knee injury.
• NFL Commissioner Rodger Goodell has to testify in Ray Rice's appeals hearing in November.