The San Diego Chargers are coming into tonight’s game with a dismal 1-4 record after losing a third straight game in heartbreaking style. The Chargers are just finding ways to lose and lose well, and this time wasting activity is yet blowing another late fourth quarter lead, the most recent on the road against the Raiders. Hard to believe, but San Diego has not been able to close, as they led in the fourth quarter in all of their four losses.
To make things even worse, the seemingly cursed Chargers have a brutal frecord and have now lost 10 in a row to AFC West opponents going back to 2014. It’s a brutal streak that has placed their head coach, Mike McCoy, directly on the hot seat. McCoy and his team will attempt to alter their fates, but it’s a monumental task since tonight they’ll face off against the defending Super Bowl champion the Denver Broncos. Denver has already defeated San Diego five straight times so this is the worst situation to try to defeat their curse in.
Week 5 though was not so good for the Broncos either. So they will be looking to bounce back. Rookie quarterback Paxton Lynch got sacked six times in a poor performance which added up to a 23-16 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, but it was Denver’s first loss of the season. The good news for them is that it looks like QB Trevor Siemian will be back for tonight’s games contest against San Diego but that is definitely bad news for the Chargers. Sadly, Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak will not be on the sideline since Kubiak, who suffers from ‘complex migraines’, was hospitalized after last Sunday’s loss. He’s recovering but will not coach tonight’s game. Special teams coach Joe DeCamillis instead will fill in as interim head coach, until Kubiak gets back on his feet.
The Broncos wanted to keep a perfect record but are now 4-1 thanks to some sloppy play against Atlanta. Lynch completed only 23 of 35 passes for 223 yards and got a touchdown against an interception but it wasn’t enough. On the ground, CJ Anderson rushed for 41 yards in 11 attempts. Devontae Booker got 23 yards in six carries. And on the receiving end, Emmanuel Sanders posted 80 yards in seven receptions. Demaryius Thomas chipped in 49 yards and a touchdown. Booker had 36 yards in four catches. So desite playing well, they still came up short.
Offensively, the Broncos are averaging a decent 25.4 points and 327.2 total yards, with 225.8 in passing and 101.4 in rushing per game. Defensively they are better, and yielding only 17.4 points and 301.0 yards of which 185.6 are passing and 115.4 in rushing per game against the opposing teams.
The San Diego Chargers at 1-4 are in another boat and are coming off a crushing loss 34-31 loss to the Oakland Raiders in Week 5 which was so close, yet so far from a win. QB Philip Rivers completed 21 of 30 passes for 259 yards and got four touchdowns against two interceptions. On the ground, Melvin Gordon rushed for 69 yards in 16 attempts. On the receiving side, Tyrell Williams got 117 yards and one touchdown in five receptions. Travis Benjamin chipped in 117 yards in seven catches. Hunter Henry got 74 yards and a touchdown in three receptions. So if they play just a smidge better and more focused, they will be able to get back on the winning track.
Offensively, the Chargers are averaging 30.4 points and 373.2 total yards of which 282.8 are passing yards and 90.4 in rushing per game. Defensively, the Chargers are not so good, after yielding 28.4 points and 375.0 total yards of which 291.6 are passing and 83.4 are in rushing, per game against the opposing teams.
We think that the Chargers have proven that they do have the talent to compete with the rest of the AFC West, especially on offense. Despite the losses, San Diego is the AFC’s highest-scoring team with 30.4 points per game after their one win in Oakland. Despite, in the season opener, blowing a 21-point second-half lead against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Chargers have shown potential, and if they can’t win tonight, then they can’t win this season and hang the cleats up.
