Mile High Roundtable: Broncos at Chargers | Week 5 | Predictions & Picks
Khalid Alshami (@KhalidHAlshami) 3-1: The Broncos aren't looking like the contender that they were billed as all offseason. To the trained eye, we knew Denver was in contention for a top-5 pick next April, if not the top overall pick. This team, for the first time in my lifetime, are significant contenders to finish the season with the worst record in football and that isn't hyperbole. Nothing stops this week. Denver travels to L.A. to play in a stadium that typically doubles for a home game without Bradley Chubb, who is now shelved for the season. The Chargers, on the otherhand, are still really good despite their injuries and are getting a healthy Melvin Gordon back. This isn't gonna be a close one.
Pick: Chargers 34, Broncos 16
Josh Carney (@JCarney_Sports) 2-2: Sitting at 0-4 and making a tough road trip to the West Coast to take on a good Chargers team, things don’t get any easier for the Broncos in Week 5. That said, Denver always plays well against the Chargers on the road. Oddly enough, this feels like a get-right game for Denver. Backs completely against the wall and nearly nothing left to play for but pride at this point, the Broncos turn in a complete performance and shock the league, shutting down Philip Rivers, Keenan Allen, and an explosive Chargers offense, grinding out a win for Vic Fangio’s first.
Pick: Broncos 16, Chargers 14
Carl Dumler (@CarlDumlerMHH) 0-4: Back in August, when going through each game, I had this one pegged as a win for the Broncos in large part because of the injuries to some key Chargers' players. L.A. has only lost more since then, leading me to stay stubborn and stick with my original prediction of the Broncos coming away with a victory. The Broncos get some help with either a defensive touchdown (Rivers seems to have a knack for turnovers) or a special teams return that secure victory in this one. Denver also leans much heavier on the run game with their first 100-yard rusher and over 150 total yards rushing to control the game.
Pick: Broncos 24, Chargers 20
Thomas Hall (@ThomasHallNFL) 2-2: The Broncos are in uncharted territory, on the verge of starting 0-5 for the first time in history. Denver has been competitive and is not a bad team that's been getting beaten easily. The Chargers are a beatable opponent. The Broncos have to come away with a victory, just to keep the shame of 0-5 away. The players dig deep and come away with a surprise victory.
Pick: Broncos 24, Chargers 20
Chad Jensen (@ChadNJensen) 0-4: This is the worst I've ever done to open up the season as a pick 'em guy on the Mile High Roundtable. I should be 2-2 if...well, you know the sob story. Bottom line, I've been wrong in my picks because I've been wrong about the mettle of this team. After seeing the offense gift-wrap a lead twice in the last three weeks with under two minutes to go, only to see the defense fail to get a stop, my faith in X's and O's acumen of Vic Fangio is quickly dissipating. Don't get me wrong, Fangio's resume speaks for itself, but, I might have underestimated how long it would take for this Broncos' roster to assimilate to Fangio's scheme. Maybe that switch flips in Week 5, but I seriously doubt it, especially with Bradley Chubb on season-ending IR. The Broncos will play the Chargers tight. It'll be a hard-fought game. But when the chips are down, it won't be the Broncos who find a way to get over the hump. Watch, I finally come to my senses and pick against the Broncos, and this is the one they actually win. It wouldn't be the worst thing.
Bold prediction: Malik Reed sacks Rivers at least once and Phillip Lindsay has a monster game on the ground.
Pick: Chargers 24, Broncos 16
Trevor Judge (@TrevorJudge) 1-3: Don’t let the 2-2 record fool you, this is still a very good Chargers team. As you’d expect in a season like this, Melvin Gordon just so happens to be coming back this week against the Broncos. Given the challenges this Denver defense has had against the run this year, I see them having issues containing Gordon and Austin Ekeler. This is only amplified with the loss of Bradley Chubb, who’s been one of the better run stoppers for this team. I’d be shocked if Denver pulls out a win on the road.
Pick: Chargers 34, Broncos 16
Zack Kelberman (@KelbermanNFL) 0-4: I've tried going the optimistic route with the Broncos, trusting my heart when my brain is screaming in defiance. I can't possibly take the same path for a tough, divisional road game against a borderline future Hall-of-Fame quarterback who always gives Denver fits. While I don't believe they'll spring an upset, the Broncos should carry over their offensive "momentum" from last week's loss to the Jaguars and at least keep up with Rivers for much of the afternoon. But until the Broncos prove they can, you know, win a game — hell, until they show they can compete for four quarters — their record reflects all prognostications.
Pick: Chargers 24, Broncos 16
Nick Kendell (@NickKendellMHH) 1-3: The Broncos are still mired in a 'world of suck'. Blame the coaches, blame John Elway, the players, the schedule. It’s just not a good team and the lack of depth that was ever so obvious in the preseason is rearing its head with the injuries starting to mount up. No injuries compare to that of the Chargers. Seriously, did they build their practice facility on Native American burial grounds or something? Still the Chargers have a franchise QB in Rivers and enough weapons in Melvin Gordon (who should return), Austin Eckler, and Keenan Allen, who can hit the Broncos where it hurts — the cornerback depth and over the middle. The Chargers' O-line is trash, but until the Broncos learn how to tackle, they will struggle. Can Denver's defense create a turnover? Can the offense create even a single, solitary game-changing play? Not this week.
Pick: Chargers 23, Broncos 20
Bob Morris (@BobMorrisSports) 1-3: The Chargers are similar to the Broncos in a couple of aspects. They’ve been hit with a slew of injuries, with Russell Okung on the NFI list, Derwin James and Dontrelle Inman on IR, and Hunter Henry and Melvin Ingram not practicing Wednesday and Thursday. The other aspect? L.A. is better on offense than they are on defense this season. To be sure, the Chargers' offense is better, easily a top-10 unit and arguably top-five. However, their defense is a lot like the Broncos — they have talent but things haven’t come together for them all the time. In fact, Football Outsiders ranks the Chargers 28th on defense, one spot behind the Broncos. While the Chargers are 2-2, one of those wins comes over the lowly Dolphins. Still, that doesn’t mean the Chargers are a paper tiger — again, the offense is good at moving the ball and they have better QB play than the Broncos do. For those who think the Broncos have no chance, though, the Chargers aren’t as good as you think. In other words, don’t expect a blowout — it’s true the Broncos are 0-4, like the Dolphins, who got blown out by the Chargers. But the difference is the Broncos are trying to win games, whereas the Dolphins are doing the ultimate tank job. That doesn’t mean I’m betting on the Broncos winning this one. They still have a lot of questions to answer before I’m confident in picking them to win again. But I expect the game to be close. I’m just not confident in the defense’s ability to close out, even if the offense shows it can keep moving the ball.
Pick: Chargers 20, Broncos 17
Lance Sanderson (@SandersonMHH) 2-2: Until we see better execution from the Broncos as a whole, it's incredibly difficult to pick them to win a game anytime soon. Yes, there have been a couple of games that the Broncos should have won but failed execution led to last-minute field goals to lose. It's not all on the offense and also, it's not all on the defense either. The Broncos need a complete team effort if they want to beat the Chargers, but I just can't find it in me to believe just yet.
Pick: Chargers 24, Broncos 21
Erick Trickel (@ErickTrickel) 1-3: Denver is showing flashes of being competitive and there are ways to exploit the Chargers and win this game. However, until the Broncos execute on the field with consistency, I just can't pick them.
Pick: Chargers 27, Broncos 21
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