Shocking the Broncos

A lifelong Chargers fan, Jeff Blackwell is a fan of all sports. Look for his takes on Fansmanship.com in the future.

By Jeff Blackwell

After defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 27-10 in the opening round of the playoffs, the sixth seeded San Diego Chargers have momentum headed into Mile High Stadium this Sunday. The Chargers have, in fact, have been facing elimination games for a month — winning five of their last games to clinch the final AFC playoff spot — and are peaking just at the right time. It not inconceivable that San Diego could be this year’s version of the 2006 Giants or 2010’s Packers; both low seeded teams that rode their momentum all the way to a Super Bowl victory. Next Sunday the Chargers will have to beat the top-seeded Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium to get to the AFC Championship game. Despite the ten-point spread favoring Denver, there are several reasons that Chargers can beat the Broncos.

Before last Sunday, the Chargers’ last playoff win was against none other than Peyton Manning. By Jeffrey Beall (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Though the two teams split the season series, the Bolts’ head coach has game-planned to keep Manning off of the field; something which the Chargers have done better than anybody in the NFL. The Bolts effectively used a ball-control offense in both contests with the Broncos, holding-on to the ball for 38 minutes compared to Denver’s 22. In fact, the Chargers lead the NFL in time of possession at an average of 33 minutes a game. Unless Denver makes major adjustments, this does not bode well for the Broncos’ ability to control the game.

2)  The Chargers’ offensive line has gotten healthy and solidified into an effective unit

In the wild card round, San Diego’s offensive line consistently moved the highly-touted Bengals defensive front seven and gave Rivers plenty of time in the pocket; something which he needs to be successful. The strong O-Line play has also stimulated the running game, which has averaged 144 yards in the past five games, including a season best 198 yards versus the Bengals. The Broncos will see plenty of the Chargers three-headed running attack of Ryan Mathews, Danny Woodhead, and Ronnie Brown, whose play will be a major factor in controlling the ball.

3) San Diego’s defense has also stepped up its play

Under Defensive Coordinator John Pagano the Chargers defense has played well in the playoff run. The Chargers defense was responsible for two of the three games in which Denver was held under 30 points this season. The 20 points that the Broncos scored in their loss to San Diego was their lowest total all year. The return of outside linebackers Melvin Ingram and Jarret Johnson also adds a new element that Manning has not yet seen, and their speed off the edge could bother him. The Chargers’ porous defensive backfield has gotten better, too.  In particular,  Shareece Wright has become a quality player in man-to-man. Often matched up alone against Pro-Bowler A.J. Green last Sunday, Wright held him to a mere 34 yards. If Manning is pressured enough to make some poor throws, there will be opportunities for Wright and Safety Eric Weddle to pick the football off.

4) The Chargers have Manning’s number

It’s just one of those inexplicable things that one team has over another. The Chargers are, in fact, 2-0 against Manning in recent playoff series. In the AFC Divisional Playoff game in 2008 Manning’s Colts lost to the Chargers 28-24, and in the 2009 wild card game Indy lost in overtime 23-17. In Peyton’s defense, he is 3-1 against the Chargers as a Bronco; but since 2005 Manning is only 4-7 against San Diego, including the two playoff losses. Few thought the lowly Chargers would even get into the playoffs, let alone into the second round. But if the Chargers can play their game and keep Denver’s quarterback on the bench, Manning will have another playoff loss to add to that tally.