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Highlighting all the important stuff from the Chargers’ Week 6 victory over the Broncos.
The Chargers defeated the Broncos in overtime on Monday night, 19-16.
To recap the game, here is everything to know about Los Angeles’ victory.
Answers to a few burning questions about the Broncos ahead of their matchup with the Chargers.
The Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos are about to go head-to-head on Monday night.
Before the matchup, Broncos Wire’s managing editor Jon Heath spoke with us about Los Angeles’ opponent.
1. Do you think Russell Wilson’s struggles have more to do with the lat injury or offensive structure?
I think it’s a combination, but the injury has only been for the last game and a half. Even before the injury, the offense has been extremely sluggish and some of Wilson’s throws have been off. I think he’s still getting familiar with his receivers and he’s still getting familiar with Nathaniel Hackett and the offense. Broncos fans keep waiting for everything to click, but it’s been pretty ugly so far.
2. What’s Denver’s plan going to be on offense after losing Javonte Williams and Garett Bolles for the season?
They like Melvin Gordon at running back, but he’s not as explosive as Williams. Gordon will be the RB1 but Latavius Murray and/or Mike Boone will also be part of the mix. At left tackle, Calvin Anderson appears to be the next man up to replace Bolles. He’s been a backup swing tackle over the last two years and has just a handful of starts on his resume. He’ll be a weak link that pass rushers will try to exploit.
3. Patrick Surtain II has ascended to star status this season. Where’s the weakness on this defense to avoid throwing at him?
Denver lost its other outside cornerback, Ronald Darby, to a season-ending ACL injury. That presumably means fourth-round pick Damarri Mathis is now in line to start. Mathis has been a fine rotational cornerback through the first five games, but he’s unproven as a starter. QBs will likely test him often.
4. What has made Ejiro Evero’s defense so effective in his first season as defensive coordinator?
He inherited a very talented roster, and he didn’t make many big changes to Vic Fangio’s scheme (Evero comes from the Fangio coaching tree). One notable difference Evero has in play-calling is blitzing. Fangio rarely blitzed linebackers, but Evero has sent inside linebackers on several occasions this year, often at just the right time.
5. What’s your prediction for the game?
Like I said earlier, Broncos fans keep waiting for the team’s offense to click and turn things around. Faced with the possibility of dropping to 2-4, this may be the week Denver gets back on track. Until I see it, though, I can’t back the Broncos to just flip a switch. The defense should keep them in Monday’s game, but it’s hard to have any confidence in Denver’s offense.
Chargers, 23-19.
This will be one of the most intriguing battles on Monday night between the Chargers and Broncos.
The Los Angeles Chargers return to primetime for a Monday Night Football showdown with the division-rival Denver Broncos
Star wide receiver Keenan Allen is listed as doubtful and is expected to be out for the game. Allen is still nursing a hamstring injury, which he aggravated in the Week 1 win against the Raiders. He told NFL Network on Saturday that his hamstring is still suffering from fatigue at practice and the veteran will likely miss his fifth straight game.
Allen’s injury paves the way for another spotlight performance for Mike Williams as the team’s top receiver. Williams, who signed a three-year contract worth $60 million in the offseason, has emerged as quarterback Justin Herbert’s go-to target. Over the last two weeks, Williams has amassed 17 catches and 254 receiving yards for a ridiculous 34.5 percent target share average.
Just how well has Williams filled in? In three of the four games Allen has been out, Williams has gone over the 100-yard marker. With a third of the season about to be complete, Williams is on pace to surpass his career-high totals – his 28 catches and 392 receiving yards both rank 11th among wide receivers.
Williams has been able to use his big frame, jump ball prowess, and catch-point concentration to consistently pose a threat to create big plays downfield. Herbert likes to throw his way, even when in tight coverage. Williams has converted 50 percent of his contested catch opportunities and produced a 53.3 percent win rate in the same category last season.
However, Williams will be tested in Week 6 against Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II. Surtain, a first-round in 2021 and the second cornerback taken off the board, performed well in shadow coverage against Williams in his rookie season. The two will probably be pitted against each other again on Monday.
The former Alabama standout held Williams to four grabs and 39 yards on eight targets in the pair’s first head-to-head appearance. Williams had more success five weeks later, hauling three catches for 45 yards and a touchdown. Williams burned a different cornerback – Kyle Fuller – on his score, which gave Herbert the Bolts’ single-season passing touchdown record.
Surtain finished his first year strong but has been nothing short of dominant to start the 2022 season. Surtain has earned an 88.1 coverage grade from PFF, the top-ranked cornerback with a minimum of 100 coverage snaps. He posted a 91.1 coverage grade in the Broncos’ Week 5 loss against the Indianapolis Colts, which also took place in primetime.
Surtain has been targeted 31 times and allowed 19 receptions, but he has not given up a touchdown. Quarterbacks have been less inclined to throw Surtain’s way after he collected four interceptions and 14 pass breakups last year. Surtain has yet to record pick, but he has defended four passes from receivers this season.
Tipico Sportsbook currently has Williams at an over/under of 68.5 receiving yards, which is significantly below his 78.4 average this season. The matchup against Surtain is a big reason, who will be hard-set to limit one of the NFL’s most productive receivers over the last couple of weeks.
Herbert and Williams will need good chemistry to overcome their most difficult passing test to date and extend the Chargers’ win streak to three consecutive games.
Here are the Broncos’ five top players who could be the difference-makers when they play the Chargers.
The Los Angeles Chargers take on the Denver Broncos this Monday at 5:15 p.m. PT.
Here are a few Broncos players who the Bolts must hone in on to increase their chances of coming out victorious in Week 6.
The Broncos have the NFL’s top passing defense, and a big reason is their ability to disrupt opposing quarterbacks at a high rate. After undergoing ankle surgery that kept him out for two months last season, Chubb is back like he didn’t lose a step. He leads the group with 5.5 sacks, which is the second-most in the league. In addition to that, he has 19 pressures. Randy Gregory, who was signed to play opposite Chubb, will not play this weekend after having arthroscopic knee surgery. Had he played, Gregory would’ve been quite the load, as evident from his 19 pressures and 11 hurries. Nevertheless, Denver has rookie Baron Browning playing in his place. And Browning has done a fine job filling his shoes, as he has 14 pressures and two sacks.
Surtain is quickly working his way into the top-5 cornerback category. The second-year player has the highest coverage grade among corners (88.1), per Pro Football Focus. Lining up across from opposing team’s No. 1 wide receivers, Surtain uses his size, length, speed and explosiveness to give them fits. He has allowed just 19 catches on 31 targets for 143 yards (7.5 yards per reception) while breaking up four passes.
With how underwhelming Russell Wilson has been, you would think that there isn’t a pass-catcher that’s been productive this season, but Sutton’s play says otherwise. Sutton is tied for sixth-most receiving yards in the NFL with 417. An explosive player, Sutton has six of his 29 receptions that have gone for over 20 yards. The Broncos’ slot wide receiver Jerry Jeudy is also not to be taken lightly. While he’s dealt with drops, Jeudy has the speed to take the top off the defense or make something small turn into a big gain. He is averaging 16.9 yards per reception.
The legendary cornerback shared his outlook on Miami’s season.
The Miami Dolphins have made a number of changes to their roster this offseason, but the coaching staff may have changed just as much.
One of the more interesting additions to Miami’s coaching crew is former Dolphins cornerback Patrick Surtain being named an assistant under defensive coordinator Josh Boyer after spending multiple seasons as the head coach of American Heritage High School.
Surtain, and his son, Patrick Surtain II, recently joined “The Pivot” podcast, hosted by former NFL players Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor. Most of the conversation was about the younger Surtain’s successful rookie season and his journey. However, the older Surtain was asked about the upcoming season for the Dolphins, his first as a coach, and how they can compete with teams like the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East.
“We definitely have a great chance to derail those guys,” Surtain said. “Just being out there, just seeing what’s going on, when you have a guy like Tyreek Hill, it changes the whole complexion of the game. The thing Tua [Tagovailoa] gets a bad rap for – he’s had so many different coordinators his first three years, he has receivers in and out of lineups. I remember one game last year Tua was throwing to three running backs.
“When you have a guy like Tyreek Hill, obviously you have Jay (Jaylen Waddle), you have Cedrick Wilson, who we added, [Mike] Gesicki – I don’t know any quarterback that is great if he doesn’t have any weapons. You give Tua some weapons and see what happens. Obviously, the defense is stacked…”
Surtain believes in the improvement of Miami’s quarterback in the same way that a lot of fans and talking heads do. With a better offensive line, an offensive-minded head coach and more weapons, Tagovailoa can prove that he’s better than he’s been to this point in his career.
Whether or not that’s enough to dethrone the Bills as kings of the AFC East will take a lot more convincing.
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He had been a high school head coach in recent years.
While the Miami Dolphins kept defensive coordinator Josh Boyer in his role after Brian Flores’ firing this offseason, they made some other changes to the coaching staff, including hiring former Dolphins cornerback Patrick Surtain to be a defensive assistant.
Surtain spent seven seasons in Miami, making three Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams before he was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs ahead of the 2005 season.
When his playing career ended in 2008, he took some time off, but eventually found his way back into football, coaching American Heritage High School which is less than 20 miles from Hard Rock Stadium.
Now, working in the NFL, Surtain is learning in his first training camp just as his players are. He spoke to the media about his approach to his new job.
“I’m learning myself,” Surtain said. “I had to come in in a different role from being a head coach to now be an assistant, and I just want to help any way I can. I had to learn the defense because it’s a different defense, so I’m in learning mode, but at the same time, I just want to give these guys tidbits and lessons that I’ve learned throughout my years to pass them on to possibly help them with their games. I’m just moving around, trying to help any place I can.”
Luckily for Surtain, he has experienced veterans like Xavien Howard and Jerome Baker to tell him to get adjusted to the Dolphins’ defense. He can lean on them and also recall some of his own experiences because, while the game is not the same as it was when he played roughly 15 years ago, there are still aspects of his game that made him great that can be shared.
Having experienced guys like Surtain and cornerbacks coach/pass-game specialist Sam Madison can only help this defense that was already on a great path to end the season in 2021.
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Touchdown Wire’s Mark Schofield continues our position lists with the NFL’s 12 best outside cornerbacks.
There are countless things to do in sports that are difficult.
Hitting a baseball is certainly one of them, as I have been reminding my players all summer long.
Another? Playing cornerback in the NFL. You have some of the world’s best athletes sprinting towards you, trying to juke you out of your cleats. And you are expected to match them stride-for-stride? Sure. And heaven forbid you many any sort of contact with them, otherwise you’ll see more yellow than Heinz Field during a Pittsburgh Steelers game.
Despite the odds, there are some incredible cornerbacks in the game today. Here is a look at the best outside cornerbacks in the NFL today, and our other position lists to date.
Minkah Fitzpatrick is one of the highest-ranked safeties in the NFL!
As is done before every NFL season, ESPN interviewed more than 50 league executives, players and coaches to help understand who the league believes are the best players at each position. ESPN asked all participants to list the top 10 players in each position, then averaged them out.
In this article, ESPN discusses the top ten safeties because they only release a single position a day. Denver Broncos safety and Patrick Surtain II teammate, Justin Simmons, tops the list at No. 1.
Former Crimson Tide super-star [autotag]Minkah Fitzpatrick[/autotag] enters the list at No. 2, down a spot from the No. 1 status he held in 2021. However, the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ safety recently became the highest-paid safety in the league and is the leader of one of the best defenses in the NFL.
Through four seasons in the league, Fitzpatrick has two first-team All-Pro appearances. Personnel across the league offer high praise for Fitzpatrick with one NFC exec saying, “Above the neck game — he can play strong and free safety and has range.”
Fitzpatrick is still only 25 years old and likely has the best football of his career ahead of him.
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Denver Broncos got a great one in Pat Surtain
Former Alabama star, [autotag]Patrick Surtain[/autotag], is already emerging as one of the NFL’s elite defensive backs after just his rookie season. Surtain started 16 of 17 games for the Denver Broncos where he had 58 tackles and four interceptions.
The NFL has become such a pass-heavy league that having an elite corner that can shut down half the field, such as Surtain, is very rare to come by. Nick Shook, a writer for the NFL, used Next Gen Stats to determine the best players in coverage in the league. Some of the metrics include coverage snaps, targets as a nearest defender, catch rate allowed, and so many other factors.
Surtain comes in at number four after just one year in the league trailing only Rasul Douglas, J.C. Jackson, and A.J. Terrell. Former Alabama stand-out Levi Wallace is also on the list and comes at No. eight.
Surtain is going to be a stand-out cover defender for the Broncos for years to come.
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The two young safeties are making names for themselves.
Throughout the illustrious history of the Miami Dolphins franchise, there have been several teams within teams and specifically duos that have been fan favorites across the generations.
Whether it be the “Perfect Backfield,” the “Killer Bees” defense or the “Wildcats,” the Dolphins’ marketing department has always been busy. When dissecting a bit more, there have also been certain dynamic duos that have been ever popular in Miami fandom.
We can look at the “Marks Brothers,” Mark Clayton and Mark Duper, the cornerback and now coaching tandem of Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain and. of course, those Wildcat running backs, Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown.
When searching the field of football history in Miami, there have been few and far between popular and productive duos at the safety positions. Especially for a consistent period of time.
With current safeties Jevon Holland and Brandon Jones progressing as individual players, and gelling as a mid-secondary unit within a unit, the Dolphins may just have their most formidable pair of safeties since the Miami franchise ship set sail in 1966.
Looking back through the history of the position in South Florida, the Dolphins have had sparks of success with safeties and limited longevity with a consistent pair. Let’s talk about the top five Dolphins safety duos in team history.
