Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Highlighting everything notable from the Chargers’ loss to the Broncos.
The Chargers kept pace with the Giants and Titans in the race for the fifth overall pick on Sunday.
Here’s what to take away from the performance on the field.
The Chargers lost their fourth-straight game.
The Chargers lost their fourth-straight game, falling to the Broncos on Sunday 16-9.
To recap the Week 17 game between Los Angeles and Denver, here is everything to know.
Stay up to date on all the action from the matchup between the Chargers and Broncos.
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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.
Find out if you will get the matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos on national television.
The Los Angeles Chargers (10-6) are set to conclude the 2022 regular season against the Denver Broncos (4-12).
Those in the blue area on the TV map will get the game on CBS, courtesy of 506 Sports.
If you’re in the red area, you will get the matchup between the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles.
Andrew Catalon and James Lofton will have the call.
The Bolts are currently 3-point underdogs to the Broncos. Sunday’s matchup will begin at 1:25 pm PT.
Broncos OC Pat Shurmur thinks Teddy Bridgewater has come a long way since his days with the Vikings.
The Broncos of new are looking like the Vikings of old.
Pat Shurmur, once the offensive coordinator in Minnesota, now serves as Denver’s OC. There’s also George Paton, a former Vikings assistant general manager who is now the GM of the Broncos.
Recently, the Broncos added to their former Vikings total by trading for quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. The offensive coordinator thinks the quarterback has come a long way since his Vikings days.
“He’s more experienced,” Shurmur said, per our friends at Broncos Wire. “He’s been in a couple different situations since the time we were together — one where he’s the backup and one where he was the starter. I see [it] when he’s out there executing. He’s been able to pick things up very quickly. There’s a lot of similarities to some of the things that we did [along with] some of the new stuff. He picks up quickly and he’s a quick decision maker.”
“He determines quickly whether he has what we’re looking for down the field, and then he’ll check it down. This has been a really important time for him, and really for all of us. We’ve got almost a half-season worth of reps in the last few days of OTAs and minicamp. All that work has been really, really good for him. He’s probably a more experienced player than when I was with him. Unfortunately, when I was with him, he got hurt early on in our time in Minnesota.”
Bridgewater suffered an ACL tear in 2016, the same year Shurmur was hired to be on the Vikings’ coaching staff. Now, Bridgewater has another chance to prove himself after a gruesome injury he suffered with the Vikings. He impressed in limited time with the Saints. With the Panthers in 2020, he struggled a bit, but now he has a better roster behind him. That could really pay off.
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Get ready for the Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos to have a joint practice before the two square off in a preseason game.
The Vikings and Broncos are slated to play each other in the preseason this year. Not only that, but the two teams will have joint practices together prior to that game, per The Athletic‘s Arif Hasan.
Former Minnesota assistant general manager George Paton was hired to be Denver’s GM this offseason. Paton made a trade to bring former Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater to the Broncos, so these teams have a bit in common.
Another thing they both have in common: neither made the postseason last year. The Broncos had a good defense and decent weapons, but QB Drew Lock struggled to move the offense down the field.
Minnesota’s defense, on the other hand, was horrendous, but the team made strides in free agency and the NFL draft to change that. A revamped defense, in addition to an already good offense, could make the Vikings more competitive in 2021.
So both these teams are coming off disappointing seasons, but both have potential to be better in 2021. It starts with the preseason, though.
Former Georgia football RB Terrell Davis donates to help fight the coronavirus in Colorado.
According to a story published by Fox News, former Georgia running back Terrell Davis has donated $400,000 worth of supplies from his company to help fight the coronavirus pandemic.
From Fox News:
The former MVP and Hall of Famer told Fox News on Thursday that he would be providing 50,000 bottles of his beverages to Feeding America food banks across the country, including in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Detroit.
“It’s about leading by example,” he said. “We’re trying to step up at a time when people are really in need.”
That’s why Davis, a co-founder of DEFY, has stepped up to help after seeing empty shelves throughout U.S. grocery stores.
For some background, DEFY is the world’s first mainstream CBD performance beverage built specifically for athletes. Formulated to aid in rapid muscle fiber recovery and clear-headed, hyper-focused training, DEFY delivers naturally derived performance, recovery and rejuvenation for every kind of athlete.
Additionally, Davis told Fox that he plans on donating cases of free beverages to first-responders throughout Colorado.
Davis is not the first former Bulldog to help out during this pandemic. Lions quarterback Matt Stafford has been buying meals for first responders in Michigan as well.
After transferring from Long Beach State, Davis played three seasons in Athens (1992-94) and scored 14 TDs while running for 1,657 yards at a 5.2 ypc clip. His performance wound up getting him selected by the Denver Broncos in the sixth round. He rushed for 7,607 yards in an NFL career cut short by injuries. Davis rushed for 2,008 yards in 1998. Overall, that adds up to more than 9,200 rushing yards.
In 1996 and 1998, Davis was named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year in addition to winning league MVP in ’98 after rushing for 2,008 yards and 21 touchdowns.
He was MVP of Super Bowl XXXII after rushing for 157 yards and scoring three touchdowns in the Broncos win over Green Bay. The next season, Davis won his Super Bowl, beating the Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII.
Per a report, the Los Angeles Rams are in discussions about trading former Georgia football RB Todd Gurley.
Todd Gurley is one the best running backs in the National Football League when he’s 100% healthy. Unfortunately for the Georgia Bulldog great, that pesky knee of Gurley’s has caused him issues, hindering his production and limiting his workload. In 2019, Gurley had career-lows in rushing yards (857) and attempts (223).
Gurley is two years into a contract with the Los Angeles Rams that included a $21 million signing bonus and $45 million in guarantees. With reduced production and a substantial contract, it is not shocking that Todd Gurley is frequently brought up in NFL trade talks.
According to a report from Pro Football Talk, those trade talks are picking up.
Per source the Rams are currently in discussions regarding a possible trade of RB Todd Gurley.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) March 19, 2020
Given Gurley’s insane contract (good for him), cutting the former Georgia superstar is not really an option for LA.
Earlier this week, we wrote about possible destinations for Gurley if he were to be traded.
Some potential destinations if the Los Angeles Rams trade former Georgia football RB Todd Gurley during NFL free agency.
Former Georgia running back Todd Gurley has reportedly had his name floated around in trade talks by the Los Angeles Rams recently.
Michael Silver was the first to report the news of the trade talks.
Gurley is two years into a contract with the Los Angeles Rams that included a $21 million signing bonus and $45 million in guarantees. With reduced production and a substantial contract, it is not shocking that Todd Gurley is frequently brought up in NFL trade talks.
Silver added to his report, noting the Rams are seeking a draft pick in return if they do trade the two-time All-Pro running back — the pick would be something in the range of the second to fourth round.
Then there’s the option to flat-out cut Gurley, but Silver mentioned how difficult that would be given his $20.15 million dead cap hit if he were to be released.
Gurley is meant for Los Angeles and it’s a shame his knee injury is holding him back from being the superstar running back he was early in his career.
However, Gurley, 25, still has plenty of gas left in the tank and continued to show flashes of brilliance last season on the Rams.
Cameron DaSilva at RamsWire took a look at where Gurley may end up if a trade is put in place.
RamsWire noted the Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Bucs and Denver Broncos would seem to be potential trade partners for Gurley and the Rams.
DaSilva on why the Dolphins would be an ideal trade partner:
They’re in a complete rebuild and while it might seem counterproductive to trade for someone like Gurley, it would give them a player for fans to get excited about. They have $70.75 million in cap space right now and five picks in the first three rounds, so trade ammo isn’t a question.
There isn’t a team that makes more sense for Gurley than the Dolphins. They could part ways with their third- and fourth-round picks and still have plenty of assets for their rebuild.
For what it’s worth, Gurley already vacations in Miami often. Also, I cannot picture him anywhere other than a big-market team in a big-time city like Miami, New York or Los Angeles.
On the Broncos, DaSilva discussed Denver’s three third-round draft picks and how the team will likely be looking for a new running back via free agency or the draft. Would two third-round picks be enough to get Gurley to Denver?
