Broncos at Chargers: Four Matchups To Watch
Execution, execution, execution. That must be the mantra flowing throughout the Dove Valley headquarters this week if the Denver Broncos hope to come out of Week 5 with a victory against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Currently sitting in last place in the AFC West with a dismal 0-4 record, the Broncos have consistently shot themselves in the foot throughout the start of the 2019 season.
Breakdowns in situational play calling at times have rendered the Broncos' offense lifeless at times, and a lack of defensive aggression has led to two game-winning field goals after the Broncos' offense put up go-ahead touchdowns late in the game.
Whether it’s offensively or defensively, the Broncos have forgotten how to sustain success over the course of a full 60-minute football game. There have been several opportunities for the Broncos to take control of a game this season, but they have not and seemingly cannot get out of their own way to do so.
Enter the Chargers, a team that has been absolutely devastated by injuries to date. In what seems to be an ongoing theme over the past several seasons, this team has to play without several key contributors on both sides of the football.
With at least 10 players on the injury report heading into Sunday’s game and another nine already on injured reserve, the Chargers are once again behind the eight-ball in the injury department.
However, they will catch a break this week with the return of scorned RB Melvin Gordon. Gordon is expected to play in a limited capacity upon his return from a contractual hold-out situation, which should play directly into the hands of one of the Broncos' biggest weaknesses.
The Broncos' defense is currently allowing around nine rushing first downs per game this season, which has been a big factor in their 0-4 start.
Stopping Gordon in whatever opportunities he has — limited or otherwise — as well as winning these four matchups are going to go a long way to ensuring the Broncos can earn their first win on the season. Here are the key matchups that will decide DENvsLAC.
Von Miller vs. RT Sam Tevi
Despite what ESPN’s advanced analytics will tell you, this Chargers' offensive line is not very good. According to their pass blocking win rate percentage — a metric that measures how often a teams' offensive lines can protect the quarterback for at least two-and-a-half seconds — the Chargers possess the third-best offensive line protecting the quarterback with a 64.5% success rate.
However, they have also faced two of the worst pass-rushing teams in the NFL in the Miami Dolphins and the Detroit Lions, and QB Philip Rivers is doing a fantastic job of getting the ball out of his hands quickly. Take this statistic with a block of salt suited for a herd of cattle.
Even without Bradley Chubb in the picture, Von Miller and the rest of the Broncos' defense poses the biggest pass rush threat that the Chargers have faced this season, and Sam Tevi is about to learn a brutal lesson. Tevi has already allowed four sacks on the season, and Von Miller is… well… Von Miller.
The Broncos' defense has generated pass pressure on a frequent basis this season, but they haven’t been able to get home for a myriad of reasons. Whether it’s the quick release time of Derek Carr or Mitchell Trubisky or the mobility within the pocket of Aaron Rodgers, Denver hadn’t had much success in the sack department until last week against the Jaguars.
Rivers offers another challenge with his ability to manipulate the pocket and get the ball out of his hands quickly, but Tevi has been a turnstile thus far and Von Miller is one of the fastest players off of the snap in the NFL. Expect Miller to collect his 17th career sack on Rivers, if not even more.
Broncos LBs vs. Chargers' RB Austin Ekeler
This may be the biggest matchup for the Broncos defense at the second level. Even though Melvin Gordon hasn’t played a single down this season, the Chargers have actually had a lot of success in the running game thanks in large part to Ekeler’s performance so far this season. But the biggest revelation of Ekeler’s game has been his effectiveness in the passing game.
With 24 receptions for 270 yards and three touchdowns through four games, Ekeler has been a primary focus for the Chargers' offense coming out of the backfield. His quickness and explosion in the open field with the football in his hands is something that the Broncos defense is going to struggle with.
Josey Jewell has improved drastically in his pass coverage compared to last season, and his high football IQ has him allowed him to better position himself in zone coverage. But if lined up in a man-to-man situation, Jewell doesn’t stand a chance athletically. Neither does Todd Davis and there's also the inconvenient fact that Jewell is questionable with a hamstring.
Philip Rivers will recognize any time that he has Ekeler in a mismatch on a linebacker, and he is going to exploit that every time. If Denver wants to limit Ekeler’s impact in the passing game in any capacity, they need to figure out a way to get either Kareem Jackson or Justin Simmons involved because the linebackers aren’t going to cut it. Plain and simple.
Courtland Sutton vs. Chargers' CB Desmond King
The emergence of Courtland Sutton in the Broncos’ passing attack has been remarkable this season. After a preseason riddled questions about whether he could be a franchise weapon moving forward, the second-year receiver has not only shown improvement in his route running ability and consistency in catching the football, but also an affinity for generating yards after catching the football over the middle of the field.
There have been several times that Sutton has broken tackles at the second level, turning a modest gain into an explosive play.
King has had a lot of struggles this season as he has been miscast on the outside rather than playing in his more natural role as a slot defender. Once a player deemed as a potential lockdown cornerback, King has allowed 11 receptions for 176 yards and two touchdowns this season as well as a perfect 158.3 passer rating on his 13 targets in coverage.
Sutton’s ability to rack up yards after the catch combined with King’s struggles in coverage could lead to a big exploitation for the Broncos’ offense. Sutton already has 102 yards after the catch this season, and King — who has given up 94 yards after the catch — might not be able to slow down the Broncos’ big-bodied receiver.
Elijah Wilkinson vs. Chargers DE Joey Bosa
In last week’s game against the Jaguars, the Broncos offensive line took a great step forward by not allowing a sack against a team that boasts the likes of Calais Campbell, Yannick Ngakoue, and Josh Allen coming off the edge. It was the first time that the Broncos have held a team without a sack since November 18, 2018.
Coincidentally, the last time the Broncos held a team with zero sacks was the last time the Broncos played against the Chargers in Carson. But there’s a staunch difference this time around.
Joey Bosa is fully healthy, and Melvin Ingram is not.
Elijah Wlikinson has struggled to maintain any sort of consistency at right tackle for the Broncos this season. Wilkinson has allowed five sacks this season, tied for the most in the NFL.
Wilkinson is a miscast interior offensive lineman playing in a position that requires top-of-the-line athleticism that he does not possess. Bosa, who already has a pair of sacks on the season, has an opportunity to eat like a king against Wilkinson if he is allowed to have one-on-one matchups on the exterior.
Let’s see if Broncos OC Rich Scangarello can scheme around this mismatch. Bosa is a one-man wrecking crew, and his counterpart Melvin Ingram is sidelined with a hamstring injury and expected to miss multiple weeks.
By using Bosa's aggressiveness to their advantage, the Broncos can blow him out of the play with counter-trap running plays, bootleg play-action passing plays, and an up-tempo passing attack that get the ball out of Joe Flacco's hands quickly.
Don't let Bosa get one-on-one opportunities against Wilkinson. Period.
Follow Lance on Twitter @SandersonMHH and @MileHighHuddle.
