The Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers will face off in an AFC West matchup in Week 3. The Chargers have already beaten two division rivals in the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders. The Broncos haven’t faced a division opponent thus far, having gone 1-1 against the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts. Whoever comes out on top this week will sit in First Place in the AFC West.
Broncos Look To Bounce Back
The Denver Broncos suffered a heartbreaking loss against the Colts last week, losing on a game-winning field goal. The offense played well, but the defense had a terrible game, giving up 473 total yards to the Indianapolis offense. Denver’s defense didn’t force a punt, and Jonathan Taylor ran circles around them. Bo Nix rebounded nicely from his tough Week 1 performance, throwing for 206 yards and three touchdowns.
The Colts drove down the field on their final possession, setting themselves up for a 60-yard field goal. Spencer Shader missed the kick, but a leverage penalty was called on Denver, allowing them to kick it again and win the game. It has been a disaster for the Broncos’ special teams unit, as this is their second big penalty in two weeks.
The defense did a 180 since week one, with the linebackers struggling to cover Tyler Warren and Jonathan Taylor. Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad looked lost out there, and they will have to clean up a lot of things against the Chargers.
Chargers Want To Keep Rolling
The Los Angeles Chargers have been stellar through the first two weeks of the season. Justin Herbert is finally hitting his stride, throwing for 560 yards and 5 touchdowns in his first two games. Typically, in a Jim Harbaugh offense, the running game is the focal point, but so far, the passing game has been. Part of this could be that this is the most dynamic receiving core Herbert has had in his pro career.
Their defense has been solid, allowing just 15 points per game. They’ll be without Khalil Mack for multiple weeks with a dislocated elbow, so it’ll be interesting to see how they fare without him.
Running Game Will Be Huge
The running game will be big for both teams. JK Dobbins has been great for the Broncos so far, and wants to have a huge game against his former team. “Hopefully, I’ll touch 100 this week. However, that may be. However many touches that may be. I’m going to try to touch 100 this week, for sure. It will only be right. I’m back to where I used to play.”
The run game has been critical for Denver, and if they want to beat the Chargers, they need to establish early like they did against the Colts. As for the Chargers, they’ll definitely get the running game going this week. The Broncos have struggled to stop the running game, and Harbaugh exposed it last year; I expect him to do the same thing tomorrow.
Key Matchups
First Matchup: Broncos secondary vs Herbert. Denver’s secondary looked uncharacteristic, letting Daniel Jones throw for over 300 yards. If the Broncos want to have any chance in this game, they have to be better against Herbert. Harbaugh will always use mismatches to his advantage, meaning Riley Moss and Ja’Quan McMillian need to be sharp.
Second Matchup: Broncos defensive line vs. Chargers offensive line. Nik Bonitto, Zach Allen, and the rest of Denver’s defensive line must create havoc. It’ll be interesting to see if they can put pressure on Herbert, and a great offensive line. Getting pressure on Herbert will benefit the secondary more.
Third Matchup: Omarion Hampton and Najee Harris vs. Alex Singleton. If there is a clear weak point on the Broncos’ defense, it’s Alex Singleton. He arguably cost them the game last week against the Colts, and just looks extremely stiff on the field. We all saw what the Chargers were able to do against Denver when they had Dobbins last year, and they have added two stronger and more dynamic running backs.
