Tag: Chargers vs. Broncos

Top Twitter reactions to Chargers’ loss to Broncos

How the internet reacted to the Chargers’ loss to the Broncos on Sunday.

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”2hK8nZKl70-2470676-7498″]

The Chargers lost to the Broncos on Sunday afternoon. Despite the loss, Los Angeles had already clinched a playoff spot. So Bolts fans can take a deep breath.

The Chargers did lose some key players to injury against Denver, however: wide receiver Mike Williams, edge defender Joey Bosa and linebacker Kenneth Murray.

Here’s how Twitter reacted to the starters playing so long in Sunday’s matchup:

Instant analysis of Chargers’ loss to Broncos in Week 18

Highlighting everything from the Chargers’ loss to the Broncos in Week 18.

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”2hK8nZKl70-2470676-7498″]

The Chargers closed out the regular season with a loss to the Broncos, finishing with a 10-7 record.

To recap the game, here is everything to know.

Chargers WR Mike Williams carted off with back injury

The Chargers lost a key piece of the offense in the second quarter.

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”2hK8nZKl70-2470676-7498″]

Mike Williams looks to be out for the rest of the game.

After leaving the game in the second quarter with a back injury, Williams did not rejoin the offense for their last drive of the first half. He was then carted off the field to the locker room for further evaluation.

Williams is officially questionable to return, but being carted to the locker room is generally not a great sign for the veteran receiver. His potential absence heading into the playoffs would be significantly felt by a Chargers team that was beginning to find a rhythm with him and Keenan Allen fully healthy.

Whether he’s ready to play again against the Broncos or not, it would be a surprise to see Williams back out there in a game that means nothing to Los Angeles. The team has already locked in the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs by virtue of the Ravens’ loss earlier on Sunday and will play the Jaguars on Wild Card Weekend.

Chargers WR Mike Williams questionable to return vs. Broncos

Perhaps the Chargers should’ve rested more starters.

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”2hK8nZKl70-2470676-7498″]

Perhaps the Chargers should’ve rested more starters.

With the Ravens’ loss to the Bengals, Los Angeles is locked into the five seed in the AFC playoffs. There’s nothing to play for against the Broncos except pride and momentum.

Even so, Brandon Staley elected to have most starters suit up and play. In the second quarter, that decision started to backfire. Joey Bosa limped off the field after appearing to reaggravate his surgically repaired groin. Then, Mike Williams limped off the field with a back injury and did not rejoin the offensive unit for their last drive of the first half. He is questionable to return.

It’s a potentially costly move for Staley and the Chargers, who are deadset on playing the Jaguars next week no matter what. Even after the injuries, starters Justin Herbert, Austin Ekeler, and Keenan Allen were still on the field to end the first half.

Chargers vs. Broncos first half highlights

Here are the Los Angeles Chargers’ first-half highlights from Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos.

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”2hK8nZKl70-2470676-7498″]

The Chargers and Broncos are tied up at halftime, 17-17.

To get caught up with all the action, here are Los Angeles’ notable plays from the first half.

The Chargers moved the ball downfield with ease, finishing their opening drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Justin Herbert to Keenan Allen.

It was Allen’s third touchdown of the season after he got the drive going with a 30-yard reception on 3rd and 8.

Don’t forget about Gerald Everett, folks.

While the tight end’s role has diminished a bit with the returns of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, Everett logged his fourth touchdown of the season with a two-yard drag route reception to put the Chargers up 14-7.

That equals a career-high, matching his 2021 campaign in Seattle with Russell Wilson and Geno Smith as his quarterbacks.

Live tweet updates from Chargers vs. Broncos

Stay up to date on all the action from the matchup between the Chargers and Broncos.

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”wGp9zTLW4U-2468518-7498″]

The Chargers are set to take on the Broncos in the final game of the 2022 regular season in just a few moments.

If you’re away from the television or can’t stream the game and want to be kept up to date on all the action, we will have you covered.

Chargers inactives: See who’s in and who’s out for Week 18 vs. Broncos

The Chargers ruled out seven players, including Bryce Callahan.

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”wGp9zTLW4U-2468518-7498″]

The Chargers are a little over an hour away from kicking off Week 18 against the Broncos.

Here is a look at their inactive players today:

FB Zander Horvath (ankle)

QB Easton Stick

CB Bryce Callahan

RB Isaiah Spiller

OT Storm Norton

WR Michael Bandy

DL Tyler Davison

Updated betting odds points to Chargers resting starters vs. Broncos

The Chargers are now 3-point underdogs to the Broncos.

After opening the week as 3-point favorites, the Chargers are now 3-point underdogs to the Broncos, per Tipico Sportsbook.

Los Angeles will either be the No. 5 or No. 6 seed, but by the time they play in the afternoon on Sunday, they could be locked into the fifth seed if the Ravens lose to the Bengals in the early slate of games.

If that becomes the case, the Bolts will have nothing to play for and could elect to give most of, if not all the starters a week to recover for what would be a Wild Card round matchup with the Jaguars.

Jacksonville defeated the Titans on Saturday night, which means they are the AFC South champions and the No. 4 seed.

The Chargers and Broncos are slated to kickoff at 1:25 pm PT and the game will be televised on CBS.

Updated Chargers at Broncos odds, moneyline and over/under

  • Spread: Broncos (-3)
  • Moneyline: Broncos (-170); Chargers (-145)
  • Over/under: 39.5

Chargers’ keys to victory over Broncos

Here is how the Chargers can pick up their fifth-straight win.

The Chargers finish off their regular season on the road against the Broncos.

Here is what Los Angeles must do to pick up its fifth-straight victory.

Move the ball early

The Chargers have struggled to move the ball on early downs, as evidenced by their league-leading 15.2 third downs per game. They convert at a roughly 43% clip amongst the better teams in the league, but a large part of that is because of the playmaking abilities of quarterback Justin Herbert. With LA’s playoff seed potentially locked in before kickoff, however, it remains to be seen whether or not Herbert, or most of the other starters, will play on Sunday. If they don’t, those 15 third downs a game will be handed to Chase Daniel, who has shown in limited action this season that he’s not the same chain-mover as QB1. That means LA will need to find a way to get into shorter third downs or, better yet, move the chains on first or second down.

Lean on the run game

That leads into this next point rather nicely. Whether it’s primarily going to be Austin Ekeler, Joshua Kelley, Isaiah Spiller, or even Larry Rountree III, the Chargers should make toting the rock a priority against Denver. The reasons for this are twofold: one, LA needs to continue to develop their identity on the ground heading into the playoffs to show opponents more balanced looks. Two, the Broncos have given up fifteen touchdowns to running backs this season, one of the highest figures in the league. Denver is middle of the pack as a per carry rush defense, allowing 4.3 yards a rush, but the blueprint is there for an effective day on the ground. Even if it doesn’t result in a career day for anyone, getting a player like Kelley into the endzone once or twice could be enough to raise his confidence for the playoffs, where he will still have an important role as Austin Ekeler’s foil.

Bring the heat

Denver’s offensive line has given up 61 sacks this season, good for 3.8 per game, which is the most in the NFL. They will also be without starting guard Dalton Risner, who was placed on injured reserve this week. That’s contributed to the struggles of quarterback Russell Wilson, who has only recently started to get on the move to avoid the impending pressure as the coaching regime has turned over. Over the last three games, LA has logged 4.7 sacks per game, second-best in the league over that timeframe. Those numbers should only increase as Joey Bosa gets closer to full health: regardless of Bengals-Ravens outcome, I’d expect Bosa to play throughout the game to get him back up to speed. He needs the reps to shake the rust off from groin surgery, and last week’s Rams contest was slightly marred by food poisoning. With a chance to feast against Denver’s ragtag offensive line, Bosa could find his groove just in time for the playoffs.

Control the line of scrimmage

Denver has rushed for at least 100 yards in each of its last four games despite injuries across the offensive line and Latavius Murray serving as their primary running back. The Chargers, meanwhile, have given up at least 100 yards rushing in 11 of their 16 games thus far. Last week was a particularly rough outing, as Cam Akers shredded LA for 6.5 yards a carry. As the defense has improved over the last few weeks, the defensive line has largely been able to stuff the run at a fairly reasonable rate, but last week was a return to the early season of consistent struggles up front. Denver’s rushing success has mirrored their improvements on offense, with 20+ points in three of their last four outings. Stopping them and forcing Russell Wilson to be the one to win the game will be paramount.

Lock up Jerry Jeudy

Jeudy has been Wilson’s go-to receiver as the coaching has changed from Nathaniel Hackett to interim Jerry Rosburg. The third-year receiver has at least six catches in four consecutive contests and has found a groove as Courtland Sutton has been up and down and KJ Hamler has missed time. With the ascendant Michael Davis likely tasked with Sutton on the outside if the starters play for LA, that leaves Asante Samuel Jr. and Bryce Callahan as the primary options to track Jeudy. Both have been solid players all season, and their efforts helped hold Jeudy to 3 catches for 54 yards the first time these teams matched up. But if the starters don’t go, it’ll likely be rookie Ja’Sir Taylor that draws the assignment on Jeudy. How he responds, even with Jeudy dealing with a minor ankle injury, could be the difference.

Keep everyone healthy

This is the goal in every game, really, but it’s especially important this week with one eye on the pending playoff schedule. The Chargers have missed at least one game from Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Rashawn Slater, Joey Bosa, and Derwin James this season and have dealt with Justin Herbert playing in a severely limited fashion at times. They’re finally beginning to hit a stride health-wise, with only fullback Zander Horvath on the injury report leading into Sunday and reports that Slater may be close to returning surfacing. It’s of vital importance that they do all they can to ensure that remains the case going into Wild Card Weekend. If the starters have to play, I’d expect them to do so somewhat conservatively.

Chargers’ causes for concern vs. Broncos

Reasons why the Broncos might snap the Chargers’ four-game winning streak.

The Chargers will likely know by kickoff on Sunday whether they’ve secured the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs.

If they do, Los Angeles will likely rest its starters and attempt to get healthier for the Wild Card round. If they don’t, the Chargers can still win and jump up a spot, making Sunday’s game against Denver much more valuable.

Here are some reasons to be worried about LA’s chances.

Resting starters

If the Bengals beat the Ravens in the early window, the Chargers simply won’t have anything to play for on Sunday. Given Brandon Staley’s rest tendencies in the preseason, that’d likely mean that nearly every veteran starter will sit in favor of younger depth players. The exception to this might be Joey Bosa, who’s still working his way back from groin surgery and food poisoning. Denver has been bad this season, there’s no doubt about that. But NFL starters are usually starters for a reason, no matter what team they’re on, and trotting out Chase Daniel and a ragtag group of receivers against this vaunted Broncos secondary seems like a recipe for disaster from a single-game perspective.

Something to prove

People often say that teams eliminated from the playoffs have nothing to play for, but that’s not true. It’s especially not true for the Broncos, whose players will be out to prove to ownership and general manager George Paton that they’re worth keeping around for the new coaching regime following the firing of Nathaniel Hackett. For pending free agents, this is their last audition for Denver or a potential new team. Players on the fringes have to prove they’re not replaceable. Everyone is fighting to keep their NFL career afloat. For the Chargers, on the other hand, there’s less at stake. Their season doesn’t end when the final whistle blows on Sunday. Nobody’s jobs are at risk depending solely on the outcome of this game. Those different states of being could result in a flat game from LA as they look to cruise into the playoffs, while Denver’s players look to put out good tape against a playoff team.

Offensive improvement

Denver’s offense has improved dramatically over the last four games, scoring 28, 24, 14, and 24 points, which looks more like the statline of an average offense than a historically awful one. In all four of these contests, the Broncos have rushed for at least 100 yards. LA, meanwhile, has allowed teams to rush for at least 100 yards in 11 of their 16 games, which seems to suggest that Denver can continue their streak on Sunday. The first time these teams met, the Chargers needed overtime to win with only 19 points because the Broncos could only muster 16. Of course, LA also lacked some offensive talent because of early-season injuries. But with this Denver team averaging 22.5 points per game over their last 4, the Chargers will have to keep pace, likely to the tune of 31-ish points as they did last week versus the Rams.

Third down defense

Denver is the second-best team in the league at preventing third down conversions, giving up a first down just 33.01% of the time. The only team better this season has been Washington. The Chargers, meanwhile, love to work themselves into difficult third-down situations and ask Justin Herbert to bail them out. LA leads the league in third down conversions per game with 6.6 on a similarly league-leading 15.2 chances per game this season, a conversion rate of 43.21%, 8th best in the NFL. But again, remember that Herbert may not play in this one depending on earlier outcomes. If that’s the case, can you trust Chase Daniel to make the same plays to keep LA’s conversion percentage hovering around that 43% mark?