Week 6 GDT Los Angeles Chargers at Denver

[AnAngryAmerican]

Here is the official GameDay thread for this week's matchup. 

Who: Las Angeles Chargers (2-2) at Denver Broncos (3-2)

When: Sunday, October 13 at 2:05 pm MST 

Where: Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado

Weather: 73, Sunny, minimal wind

TV: CBS

Line: Los Angeles -3.0

NFL Ranks Offense: Las Angeles 29th yards / 28th points, Denver 28th yards / 22nd points

NFL Ranks Defense: Las Angeles 5th yards / 1st points, Denver 3rd yards / 2nd points

The Bottom Line: Well I was surprised in looking at the team stats and seeing how dominant the Chargers defense has been. While the offense for the Chargers is undergoing a transition to be a more run-oriented team, standout talent Justin Herbert, who has been hobbled by injuries in the first month of the season, remains a player for whom we must game plan. From the sound of things, star rookie OT Joe Alt will return while Rashawn Slater's return remains more in question, at last look. While the Chargers will present a challenge, the Broncos will need to stick to the formula we've ridden to three-straight wins - run the ball, play great defense, avoid making mistakes. It's a razor thin margin of error for us, but playing at home should give us a slight advantage. I expect a close and low scoring game but it's certainly a winnable contest for us. 

Prediction: Denver 20, Las Angeles 16

[lomaxgrUK]

WAIT FOR IT ... ***drum roll***

Run the ball.
Stop the run.
Win the turnover battle.

Rinse and repeat!

Bold is particular important. It's a different style of Chargers team from years previous and they are coming off a bye week. We've got to (somehow) match their physicality and not let them control the clock.

[jsthomp2007]

This is a weird question.  But what uniform combo are we wearing this week?  I have to admit, last week's uniforms hit me with gobs of nostalgia growing up with my bedroom walls just covered in Bronco memorabilia and going to the old Mile High and getting beer spilled on me in the South Stands...they just need to bring those uniforms back as the mainstay.

[French Fan]

4 hours ago, jsthomp2007 said:

This is a weird question.  But what uniform combo are we wearing this week?  I have to admit, last week's uniforms hit me with gobs of nostalgia growing up with my bedroom walls just covered in Bronco memorabilia and going to the old Mile High and getting beer spilled on me in the South Stands...they just need to bring those uniforms back as the mainstay.

https://www.denverbroncos.com/news/broncos-announce-2024-uniform-schedule

Same vs Bucs.

 

[Broncofan]

Chargers are a VERY different squad than we are used to seeing.

Their trenches have been excellent.

They commit to the run.

Justin Herbert is asked to be heroic only when they get behind in the 2H.  

Their ST's are the best in the league.

 

Why have they lost games?   Well, they lost their 2 best T's (Joe Alt & Rashawn Slater, elite-ceiling and high-floor T's, IMO already top 10 at their positions, if not top 5) and could not pass protect @ PIT and vs. KC (two top 5 D's), and their pass coverage is still vulnerable.  But make no mistake, this isn't the same soft team under Brandon Staley, they've gotten a LOT better in a hurry, and where it matters, under Jim Harbaugh.   And they look like they are getting both T's back for this game, which is massive for them.

 

Having said that, we have a couple of areas where we do match up well:

-Our pass coverage D should fare well against everyone except Ladd McConkey.   That's a reason why I think PS2 should shadow him exclusively.

-Our pass rush will face a tough test if both foundation T's (Slater & Alt) are playing, but we have enough creativity with VJ (can't believe I'm saying that) that we should leverage some inside pressure opps.

-Really, it comes down to our ability to stop the run, as @lomaxgrUK alluded to (and always brings up - correctly obv)

 

On O, a couple of points:

-Their coverage really depends on the pressure getting home.  So if we can protect long enough, guys will get open.   Troy Franklin, how about this time you hang on to the ball if it's thrown your way in the EZ (this time, I've got 11-1 odds, won't stay there forever, so this week would be swell).

-Their run D did wear down over time, so if our D can stymie them, and the pass game can be even just "effective", in altitude we have a path to winning.

Still, in a TO-neutral game, Justin Herbert vs. Bo Nix is an unfair fight.   Hopefully our pass pro and D can tilt the odds so Bo only needs to manage the game.   Should be a terrific game, as both teams are well-coached, and have strong trenches.   Old-school fans should love this one.

Edited Friday at 04:47 PM by Broncofan

[broncosfan_101]

Wattenberg and Palczewski have both been DNP’s the past couple days. I’m guessing neither will be in the lineup this week. Forsyth and Peart are the expected replacements. 

[broncos_fan _from _uk]

2 hours ago, broncosfan_101 said:

Wattenberg and Palczewski have both been DNP’s the past couple days. I’m guessing neither will be in the lineup this week. Forsyth and Peart are the expected replacements. 

Yeah having a backup C and 3rd string RT heading into what should be a battle of the trenches isn’t great. 
 

there’s not a single game on the schedule that is unwinnable. (First time in nearly a decade I can say that!) But the chargers are favored for good reason.

23-20 chargers 

[Broncofan]

3 hours ago, broncosfan_101 said:

Wattenberg and Palczewski have both been DNP’s the past couple days. I’m guessing neither will be in the lineup this week. Forsyth and Peart are the expected replacements. 

 

13 minutes ago, broncos_fan _from _uk said:

Yeah having a backup C and 3rd string RT heading into what should be a battle of the trenches isn’t great. 
 

there’s not a single game on the schedule that is unwinnable. (First time in nearly a decade I can say that!) But the chargers are favored for good reason.

23-20 chargers 

 

The fact our OL is top 10 in pass-protection metrics speaks to just how important unit cohesion, and how much coaching matters.   Don't get me wrong, I'm not down on the guys we have, but Peart has never encountered success anywhere else he's played at - it's doubtful he suddenly had this surge in talent.  And Forsyth showed nothing last year to suggest he could hang in there.   The same can be said in LAC so far - which is why I think we'll see both teams on the rise.   And it's a big reason why I look forward to seeing how both units fare vs. each other.

Strength coach Dan Dalrymple , OLC Zach Strief & Logan King all deserve kudos.   I'm not a fan of our OC Lombardi / consultant Carmichael (they were both downright brutal on their own in LAC &  NO without Payton), it's clear they're not the brains of the group and would be lost without Payton at the helm -  but the guys heading up our trenches are doing amazing work.   When you see our lines improving this quickly, it's never just the talent upgrades, the unit cohesion that coaching provides has to be a big part.  The fact they're holding up with backups and 3rd-stringers only reinforces this point.

It also highlights out how bad Russell Wilson was in facilitating pressure last year.   Again, I don't see Bo Nix as this high-ceiling guy, but one part about game managers where they can outperform their physical limitations - letting OL play up in pass pro.  The contrast between Wilson last year hanging on way too long, and thinking he could extend plays he couldn't, and this year so far, is staggering (and refreshing).

Run D also deserves a shout-out to the coaching stiff.   Franklin-Myers is a crucial get to pair with Zach Allen, but the improvement in our run D again speaks to the coaches getting players to read & fill gaps properly, and the tackling improvements our LB & DB's (especially the latter) have made.  Strnad's progress along with the DB's, you gotta credit the coaches there too.

 

Really, it's hard not to point out how much better our coaching in the trenches has been.  You don't improve the run D, and pass blocking with the injuries we've had, without tipping your cap to the coaches involved. 

Edited Friday at 05:00 PM by Broncofan

[Dbrog24]

Groooooss. I just saw we are bringing back Cam Fleming to fill in for Palcz. Nix might be facing some pressure again this week and dirty pockets at a time where he still is tending to escape a bit early (seems to be expecting pressure even though there is none).

[broncosfan_101]

An INT and a PS2 concussion in the first 5 plays of the game. That’ll just about do it.

[AnAngryAmerican]

Ouch. A pick and then PS2 gets hurt. 

[rcpbawler]

That's a 2 game injury.

If there's a silver lining, this is probably the best 2 game stretch to be without PS2

[1234567]

Garrett Bolles back to his high penalty self this season. Irritating. 

[AKRNA]

Who's at RT?

[1234567]

That was some p*ss poor effort by Cody Barton. Could have absolutely dove for his feet and tripped him up instead of just letting him waltz into the endzone. That’ll be one they discuss in the film room.