Week 12: Broncos 28, Chargers 13 - Everything we know

The Denver Broncos (5-5) will need to bring their best game in Week 12 against the Los Angeles Chargers (6-5) and a big part of that will be how well the game is called on offense. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur was out for the last game with a COVID-19 positive, but he admitted this week that the game plan was already in place before he tested positive.

Which means we’re back to the weekly game plans that lead to uninspiring offensive production. Shurmur has backed away from using phrases like “grinding it out” to “go battle”. Whatever that means.

“Well, we’ve got to just fight them,” Shurmur said on Thursday. “I think every week we talk about how good the defenses are that we face, and we’ve just got to go battle. I think we’ve got some players and we’ve had spurts where we’ve done a really good job of moving the ball and scoring points. We’ve just got to do it and I think that’s the challenge each week.”

The clichés have me feeling as if Shurmur has no idea how to make the offense work. For us fans, the answer is quite simple. Lean on the rushing attack more. On the season, the Broncos are averaging 4.5 yards per carry which ranks 11th in the NFL. On rushing attempts, they are down near 20th. Even worse, the red zone is filled with failed first down pass plays. But hey, he’s the guy with the answers. Go keep battling, I guess.

Kickoff is set for 2:05 p.m. Mile High time on Sunday, November 28, 2021 at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado.