Philip Rivers at Mile High is usually an intriguing affair.
Yet when the Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos play on Sunday to end the 2018 regular season, most of the excitement will come when the game ends. As I told Adam Malnati on the latest MHR Radio Podcast, Broncos Country will want to know how long it takes John Elway to move on from Vance Joseph. Hopefully not too long since it appears Joseph has already moved on to the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Broncos (6-9) will look to avoid more (awful) history under Joseph by not being the first team in Denver to have back-to-back double-digit losing seasons since 1966-67 against a Chargers (11-4) team that still has an outside shot at the AFC West title and No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs. We had some fun with our keys to the game since the outcome doesn’t matter for the Broncos.
Offensive Rankings
Los Angeles Chargers: Tenth in overall offense (379.1 yards), 15th in rushing (117.1), 12th in passing (261.9) and fifth in points (27.0).
Denver: Twentieth in overall offense (348.8 yards), 11th in rushing (121.7), 19th in passing (227.1) and 22nd in points (21.3).
Defense Rankings
Los Angeles Chargers: Eighth in overall defense (331.3 yards), ninth in rushing (107.4), seventh in passing (223.9) and tied for eighth in points (21.3).
Denver: Twenty-third in overall defense (371.1 yards), 21st in rushing (119.8), 22nd in passing (251.3) and 12th in points (21.7).
Here are our keys to the game.
Lock Joseph in the hotel kitchen
Since it’s all but certain Joseph is gone, he’ll want to conclude his two-year error in Denver with a win. So lock him in the kitchen to protect the draft position he will screw over. He’s made nothing but (horrible) history in his two seasons, why stop on Sunday? — Ian St. Clair
On the latest @MileHighReport Radio Podcast, as the #Broncos reach the end of a historically bad season (just how historic), @AdamMalnati16 and I also look at the upcoming game vs the #Chargers and the future of the franchise for #BroncosCountry. https://t.co/cwC3PdhGlS
— Ian St. Clair (@IanStClair) December 27, 2018
Invest in time travel
Elway and his staff need to invest in time travel technology, go back in time, and figure out a way to change the Joseph hire. One could assume that time travelers already walk among us, considering someone could have invented time travel already, and so maybe they can just find a random time machine laying around and go back and fix their mistake. — Adam Malnati
Who knows?
I’ve already moved on to April 2019, but a Broncos win would help them avoid their first back-to-back 10-loss season since 1966-67. Given that fact, this team probably loses merely to keep setting those unfortunate and embarrassing records. A loss will also give the Broncos a likely Top 10 pick, while a win could drop them back into the late teens. The key to the game for me is to just go lose and move on to 2019, but the fan inside of me is screaming “WIN”. At the end of the day, I’ll probably be happy either way — what a weird situation that is. — Tim Lynch
Give us a reason to dream big
Denver is a beat, bruised and embarrassed group and the best thing that could happen to end the season is for it to go out with a bang. The biggest and best bang would be a win but as that seems unlikely, they have to at least go out fighting. Bill Musgrave and Joe Woods should get so creative that Tony Romo would be left speechless in the press box and Wade Phillips would tweet something silly and golden about the coaches. The players are fighting for their next job, their teammates and coaches but most importantly they are playing for pride. This team as a whole needs to give their fans something, anything to cheer for and to have hope in, and if I see a group of men that care, I’ll be satisfied that there is at least one reason to dream big for 2019. — Kevin Gillikin
Always make Rivers cry. Always!
Pressure him. Sack him. Bury him in the grass. I don’t care if you take his head off. Make him pay for being the quarterback we wish we had right now. — Laurie Lattimore-Volkmann
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What are your keys to victory for the Broncos?