For our Monday Night Football nightcap we have a couple of AFC also-rans from last season with new head coaches but likely the same path to mediocrity or worse ahead of them. The newly minted Los Angeles Chargers will open their season in a real NFL football stadium against the Denver Broncos.
The Game: Los Angeles Chargers at Denver Broncos (-3)
The History
The rivalry between the two teams dates all the way back to the old AFL in 1950. The Chargers won the first ever match up between the two teams, 23-19 and would go on to win the first four games.
In spite of Los Angeles/San Diego’s early success, the Broncos hold a 64-50-1 edge in the all-time match up and have won six out of the teams’ last seven contests.
In spite of their long history together and the fact they played in a league other than the NFL for a decade, the Chargers and Broncos have met in the playoffs just once, with Denver winning 24-17 in 2014.
Los Angeles/San Diego’s longest win streak in the series was six games from December, 1963 to October, 1966. The Broncos won seven in a row from November, 1975 to December, 1978.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
In spite of their head coach being awful for years, the Chargers managed to field one of the better offenses in the league last season, finishing No. 9 in points scored and No. 14 in yardage. New head coach Anthony Lynn was smart enough (or maybe ownership was) to keep the offensive staff, led by offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt, in town. Quarterback Phillip Rivers is a lot like the guy he replaced with the Chargers, Drew Brees. As long as he’s in the line up, Los Angeles has a chance to win. Last year he completed 60.4 percent of his passes for 4,386 yards, 33 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.
The emergence of Melvin Gordon helped the offense become two dimensional for the first time since Ryan Matthews was healthy and in Southern California. Gordon carried the ball for 997 yards and 10 touchdowns while catching 41 passes for 419 yards and two touchdowns. Look for all those numbers to go up this year. The good thing for both Rivers and Gordon is the offensive line is back, with the addition of rookie Dan Feeney for early depth and an eventual starter at guard.
Keenan Allen is healthy again and in his absence last season, Tyrell Williams emerged as a legit NFL wide receiver. The team will still be without the services of rookie Mike Williams for a while, but have one of the better big-play slot guys in the league in Travis Benjamin.
Joey Bosa, in spite of the best efforts from the Charger’s ownership, was defensive rookie of the year for a reason. Los Angeles has stars at every level, including Melvin Ingram at linebacker and Casey Hayward at cornerback. If Jason Verrett can stay healthy, and that’s a big “if,” the Chargers could have a top 15 defense.
DENVER BRONCOS
The Broncos have no concern about their defensive personnel, but should have plenty of concern about how those personnel are used with former All-Universe defensive coordinator Wade Phillips out of town. Vance Joseph is the new head coach and will put his own stamp on the defense. How successful that will be scheme-wise is hard to tell here before game one, but there’s no question, even with the loss of safety T.J. Ward, this is one of the most talented defenses in the NFL.
As loaded as the Broncos were on defense, they’ve added solid depth at linebacker and in the defensive backfield in the draft. Justin Simmons will take over for Ward at strong safety after a strong preseason (and 2016 in a reserve role). Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr. are, for my money, the best set of starting cornerbacks in the NFL.
Until Shane Ray gets back, the strong side linebacker job belongs to Shaquil Barrett. He should see plenty of one-on-one opportunities as Von Miller, one of the biggest stars in the league and the current face of the franchise is on the other side wreaking havoc. Free agent acquisition Domata Peko on the defensive line should plug up the holes and keep inside linebackers Brandon Marshall and Todd Davis clear to do their work without offensive line interference.
The issues with the Broncos are on offense and there are plenty of them. They had to rebuild an underperforming offensive line in free agency and the draft and they did, adding first round pick Garrett Bolles at left tackle and free agent Ronald Leary at guard. They have start wide receivers, but no real quarterback to consistently throw them the ball. For the second year in a row, Denver is going with the overmatched Trevor Siemian at quarterback with former starter Brock Osweiler as his back up until Paxton Lynch gets healthy.
This was one of the worst offenses in the league last season, finishing No. 27 in yardage and No. 22 points. And while No. 22 doesn’t seem atrocious, you have to factor in how many times the Denver defense gave the offense the ball on their opponent’s end of the field if not just scored themselves. Neither Siemian or Lynch in his two starts completed 60 percent of their passes. Siemian’s numbers weren’t horrible when it was all over with 3,401 yards, 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. If he can just get the ball out of his hands quickly and into Demaryius Thomas’ or Emmanuel Sanders’, he should be alright in this game.
How much does former Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamal Charles still have in the tank? We’ll see how much Denver uses him tonight. There’s no question they’ll want to run the ball as much as they can and keep the pressure of Siemian’s shoulders and Charles could end up being the guy after an injury-shortened 2016 from C.J. Anderson and second year back Devontae Booker expected to miss all of 2017.
The Pick
I wasn’t sure about the Broncos hiring Joseph this offseason, having never been that impressed with the Detroit Lions’ defense (one that had an off season last year too), but there was no question that the Chargers made a mistake in hiring Lynn. For that reason alone, and the fact they’re playing in Denver, I’m making my pick. Broncos 20, Chargers 17
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