San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos
Sunday 4:15 - Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium
Okay fellas, this game is serious. Nobody else on the staff wanted to take this matchup. No problem. That’s why I’m editor-in-chief. That’s why I’m called Heartless James.
Denver has lost 3 straight games, and the Bolts have won 4 in a row since that home loss to….the Denver Broncos. I have a theory. The last game Denver won, they had on those funky throwback uniforms that yours truly loves. Maybe they should break out those bad boys at Mile High on Sunday.
Bronco’s QB Kyle Orton might not play. That’s not great news. They’ve got him listed as a game day decision, but I can’t wait that long. I have to get this stuff out today. I was supposed to have it matriculated yesterday evening.
Warning! Chris Simms CANNOT cover this kind of heat, with playoff implications abound. The kid went 3 for 13 netting 13 mildew yards with a pick for 2 quarter’s worth or arm work. Denver will probably be better off with Tom Brandstater in there. Their 11th ranked O-line will help out, if he can throw half-way decent. Taking in the performance of Denver’s wide receivers last week, Brandon Marshall and company should have no problems catching the ball. Well, when Kyle was hurling to them.
That said, the Broncos are at home with their thin air and their funky stadium. If you’re not counting their 6 game winning streak, home-field advantage doesn’t seem to factor much. As for the Chargers, some could say (me), that their 4 game winning festival was due to a pie schedule. (Kansas City, Oakland, Giants, and the sometimes good Eagles)
One thing about the NFL, though. Head coaches and coordinators have time between games to fix major injury issues and match- up problems. Like the Orton injury. You have to think the Broncos will mostly go with the running game against San Diego’s 23rd ranked defense against the rush. The tandem of Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter managed to get over a hundred yards from the 5th ranked D of the Washington Redskins. So look for them to play a major role in the offense tomorrow.
The Broncos are ranked 6th in total D, and are giving up about 16.8 points a contest. Right now, the Chargers have the 23rd best offensive line in the league, but they manage to score a little over 26 points a game. In rushing, they have LaDainion Tomlinson, who had an excellent game last week when he got some good news pre-game that his wife was expecting. He rushed 96 yards on 24 carries that got him two TDs. I feel this performance was a fluke, noticing that his numbers have been going down in recent years. He’s getting old and it doesn’t look like he’s going to get a 1,000 yard season this go.
In these teams last meeting, Phillip Rivers played extremely well in the first 3 quarters. He went 20-33 for 274 yards with a TD with no pesky interceptions. However, the Charger’s flight plan was shut out in the fourth quarter, and Rivers has Denver’s 6th ranked defense vs. the pass, to look forward to Sunday evening. Not taking anything away from Rivers. He IS a big time player, who did take Denver to flight school for 45 minutes last meeting.
Here’s my pick. My guts (and research) tell me Denver will pull this off. Either I’m right, or maybe I’m just another Broncos fanboy……We’ll know tomorrow.
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