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| Broncos.com |
Simms, Nantz and I'm guessing a lot of Papa John's commercials on the call for CBS.
FIRST QUARTER
The Chargers receive the kickoff without Jim Nantz bothering to tell us who won the coin toss. Ryan Matthews cuts back right off right tackle for 5. Ronnie Brown immediately subs for him and gets wide open in the flat but Chris Harris closes quickly to hold him to 3. Danny Woodhead becomes the third Charger RB in three plays but Philip Rivers burns the Chargers' first timeout 1:30 into the game. Next play's a good one, though, a crossing route to Ladarius Green for 5. After Duke Ihenacho trips up Matthews for 1, the Chargers' right side inexplicably lets Jeremy Mincey blitz untouched right between them to put a hard sack on Rivers. The RT, RG and Woodhead just let Mincey fly right by. The Chargers try to give up with a draw on 3rd-and-17, but Malik Jackson lets them off the hook by grabbing Woodhead's facemask. Argh. Puts S.D. at midfield. On first down, 5'8" Woodhead's never going to run through gigantor Mitch Unrein; no gain. Then the Broncos sack Rivers AGAIN, as it's Shaun Phillips this time beating D.J. Fluker at RT with a sweet step fake and running by Johnnie Troutman at RG. The Chargers need to get their right side firmed up immediately.
Broncos start at their 14. Nothing for Knowshown Moreno on a shotgun handoff, running into Corey Liuget. Wes Welker shows some concussion rust dropping a crossing route. Peyton Manning fires to Demaryius Thomas for 16, though, to get Denver out of the hole. Eric Decker beats Richard Marshall on a comeback route for another 12. Play-action smoke route to Thomas, who breaks a tackle and gets 11. Perfectly executed, Eric Decker gets a block on Shareece Wright, who was covering Thomas, without making an illegal pick. Wait now, who? Andre Caldwell? Really? for another 15 inside the SD30. Wright then blows an INT on a terrible throw by Manning ostensibly intended for Welker. Big hole made by center Manny Ramirez gets Moreno 8. While Manning sings "Minnie the Moocher" on 3rd-and-2 - no, really, he's yelling "Heidi, Heidi!", the Chargers hee-dee-hee-dee-hee and call their second timeout. Lead block by Louis Vasquez gets 5 for St. Louisan Montee Ball. Manning to D.Thomas on a pivot route for another 9, inside the 10. Ball makes it 1st-and-goal at the 3. D.Thomas then gets open at the goal line out of trips left formation and Manning hits him for a TD despite good coverage by Eric Weddle. San Diego's finding it extremely hard to pressure Manning in the no-huddle offense so far. Broncos 7, Chargers 0
Woodhead gets buried by Jackson for a loss on a pitch left, then goes up the middle again for probably 3. And now a delay of game makes it 3rd-and-12. The Chargers are definitely off to a good start. Rivers nearly gets sacked again and misses a blanketed Keenan Allen, who was short of the first down anyway. Hoo boy.
SECOND QUARTER
Eric Decker's punt return set Denver up at their 42, and a low catch by Welker moves them to midfield. Boy, Peyton sure does yell about Omaha a lot. Think he has friends there? Liuget stuffs a Moreno run, and on 3rd-and-2, Peyton telegraphs to the entire world that he's throwing to Julius Thomas split left, and he does, and Julius gets the first down on a slant anyway, but loses the ball, maybe, after Jahleel Addae rips it out. Big question whether J.Thomas got his butt down before he lost the ball, and don't ask me, I can't even tell on replay. It is ruled a fumble, and San Diego gets the ball at their 44.
Matthews up the middle for 3. If the Chargers are trying to lull Denver to sleep, it's working on me, at least. No, here's some excitement, as Matthews bounces a run outside for 16. Strong work by the Charger line moving the Bronco D to the right. 1 more for Matthews, then Woodhead runs through a tackle on a draw for 6. Has Danny Woodhead run anything besides draws his entire career? You'd think a defense would be ready for that. The Broncos are sure ready for Rivers on 3rd-short, with Jackson bull-rushing Johnnie Troutman for Denver's third sack. I'd call that a coverage sack had Troutman's effort been better than that of a limp trout during the play. Nick Novak slips on the long FG attempt and comes up nowhere close.
If the Broncos score again, they may have all the points they need, the way the Chargers are going. OPI on Moreno moves Denver back to their 33, but a screen to him gets 12 back. Jarrett Johnson gives them 5 more jumping offside. Moreno bursts through the line and runs through two Charger DBs for an 11-yard gain, and he's off the hook for that OPI. Inside handoff to Ball for 8, and the Chargers HAVE to start tackling better. Starting to look like that Bengals game shot their wad. Ball again, sweeps right and then makes a sudden cutback for 10. We're on a track for a Manning-Brady rematch next week where neither QB throws more than 20 times. Thomas Keiser rolls offsides to hand Denver 2nd-and-1, which Moreno converts by grinding down to the SD8. Inside handoff to Knowshown for another 5, and he is consistently gaining 3-4 yards after contact. Manti Te'o has to be helped off after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit from a teammate. I decided to bite my tongue on the cheap joke there. Wright makes a sweet breakup of a slant for J.Thomas in the end zone. Peyton beats a 3rd-and-goal blitz, though, with a sweet pass to Welker on a quick out for the score. Broncos 14, Chargers 0
Seems obvious the Chargers can't let this get any worse before halftime. Where's that run defense from the regular season meetings I cited picking them to cover today, btw? Woodhead gets to the 30 off a couple of dumpoffs. A 2-yard pass to Green as Denver continues to rush 3 and lock down everything else. Is Antonio Gates playing, btw? Did he retire and I missed it? Big pressure on 3rd down; Rivers hangs in but Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has Eddie Royal blanketed to force the punt. Eric Decker fields that at his 23, runs past one Charger and runs through awful diving ankle tackles by about 4 others until he's finally brought down 45 yards later by... tripping over his own feet. It's official. The Chargers shot their wad in Cincinnati last week.
Looks like punter Mike Scifres got kicked in the head blowing one of those tackles. He could be our second punter to go down this weekend. We're well on pace, btw, to having 6 of 8 playoff games fail to go over the number, with only the Colts sparing us from being completely skunked, a ludicrous development when we've just completed the highest-scoring season of football in history. Once again, kids. Do not gamble on sports.
YET ANOTHER OFFSIDE, this time on Melvin Ingram, gives Denver a first down at the SD16. Well, it's not like they play against Peyton Manning twice a year and should know his cadence or anything. Moreno carves out another 9 as the Denver o-line continues to just abuse the Chargers D. The Chargers finally do make a stand after 1st-and-goal at their 4. They stuff Moreno on 1st down, Manning well overthrows an open Decker in the back of the end zone, and on 3rd down, another attempt to force a pass to Decker in the end zone is tipped away by Darrell Stuckey and Donald Butler makes an impressive catch on the tip drill, impressively keeping his toes in bounds for the interception.
San Diego kneels out the half and Rivers jackassedly runs off talking trash like his team's done anything in the first half. All righty then.
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| Broncos.com |
San Diego's trying to control this game with tempo and keep Manning off the field but they're failing for a couple of reasons. A big one is they're getting beaten badly up front on defense and tackling terribly. I don't know what adjustment you make at halftime to fix that other than drop everything and yell at your team. Hey, sometimes it works. Another big problem is they can't sustain enough on offense to keep Manning off the field anyway. I don't know if Matthews is too hurt to go, but this is a playoff game. If he can go, they should run him a lot more, and run him to the right to keep the Bronco pass rush honest. They can help Rivers out by rolling him left, away from the worst side of his offensive line. A different RG wouldn't hurt if they have an alternative. They can also help Rivers out by sending out search parties for Keenan Allen and Antonio Gates, which I recall was a problem for them last week. Let's see if some early, intelligent running can't loosen up the Bronco D a bit.
Denver'd be up 24-0 or more if not for turnovers, so job one for them is to take care of the ball. Other than that, they're doing everything right and are locked on for a rematch with the Patriots next Sunday.
THIRD QUARTER
More bad news for the Chargers - they have to kick off to start the 2nd half, and Trindon Holliday squirts out across the 35 with the return for Denver. D.Thomas makes up for a drop by J.Thomas with a 9-yard sideline catch, and Ball rolls for a first down at midfield. D.Thomas gets about 10 yards' space from Marshall and makes, guess what, a 10-yard catch at the 40. After another 8-yard catch by D.Thomas, Denver gets everyone moving right on 3rd down while Manning rolls right and hits Welker down to the SD26 for another 1st. Manning uses Denver's first timeout after a 4-yard screen to yes, D.Thomas again. This time, it's a bad play after a timeout, J.Thomas false-starting. 3rd-11, Welker drops what would have been a difficult back-shoulder catch for what would have been a TD. Matt Prater barely sneaks one in from 45 to extend Denver's lead. That was a lengthy trip for 3, 12 plays, 5:30. Broncos 17-0
The Chargers make a nice adjustment and go to no-huddle to start their half, and Rivers actually finds Gates for a short completion, but has to blow San Diego's first timeout on 3rd-and-4. But that's followed by a good play, a 19-yard catch-and-run by Allen, also making his first catch, on a deep out. Allen biffs a pass on 2nd-and-8 but Ihenacho blows the interception on the ricochet. Brown runs through Michael Huff for 9, but it comes back for an OPI on Vincent Brown, an illegal pick which freed up Brown in the first place. Good call, Clete Blakeman. Green lets a nice pass go through his hands to force a punt. Scifres was able to stay in the game and feels so good he shoots a 62-yard punt into the end zone.
Denver is quickly across midfield as Manning hits Decker on a post route for 19, San Diego jumps offsides AGAIN, and Ball weaves through traffic for 8. Any time you want to make any stop, Chargers. Smoke route to Welker for 8. Ball draws for 4 for another first down at the SD36. Make it the 31 after ANOTHER OFFSIDE. Oh my God, I just realized the Rams play the Broncos next year. Manning will be able to put together TD drives based entirely on hard counts. Chris Long will jump offside ten times that week by himself. The Chargers do hold after that, Addae stuffing Moreno on 2nd-and-2 and Liuget shooting into the backfield to blow up Moreno for a 3rd-down loss. Prater then helps San Diego out by hooking a 47-yard attempt left.
FOURTH QUARTER
With good field position, Brown gets stuffed trying to go outside left, then Rivers has to run for his life and scramble for 5. Rivers gets excellent protection on 3rd-and-4 and finds Royal deep downfield, making almost a back-handed catch for a 30-yard gain. Quite a grab. Illegal hands to the face by Robert Ayers puts the Chargers at the DEN22. Woodhead takes, of course, a draw for 7. Matthews won't be back, due to an ankle injury that's been a problem for him since the end of the regular season. 3rd-and-4 at the 16, and Rivers throws a perfect pass over Allen's shoulder, beating Quentin Jammer for San Diego's first score. Broncos 17, Chargers 7 Still 13:00 left, plenty of time.
Holiday makes an amazing slashing cut at the 25 and streaks down the sideline for what appears to be a 105-yard kick return TD, but the flag flying about the time he made his cut tells us otherwise. Yep, illegal block in the back, start Denver at their 19 instead. Swing pass to Moreno falls incomplete to stop the clock as he's blanketed by Te'o's replacement, Bront Bird. No matter, DPI by Marcus Gilchrist puts the Broncos at their 45, assuming the officials ever figure out the spot. 8 to Welker before J.Thomas takes a slant down to the SD30. Gilchrist gets bashed in the head by his own teammate and is out on his feet, which Broncos fans boo, thinking he's stalling to get the Charger defense a blow. Moreno chugs around left end down to the 10 off great downfield blocks by receivers, Welker and D.Thomas. Inside handoff to Moreno down to the 3, another strong inside block by Vasquez. He bulldozes in from there behind Ramirez and Orlando Franklin, and this game looks over. San Diego could certainly not afford to have their 1st TD immediately answered by a Denver TD. 24-7
Rivers hits Gates for 5, but Rodgers-Cromartie breaks up back-to-back passes to force 4th down. The Chargers do go for it deep in their own end, and it pays off big when Allen burns the woeful Jammer, who laid off 10 yards, madly back-pedaled another 10 and obviously didn't jam anything at all, for 49. Rivers rolls and scrambles down to the 21. Dumpoff to Brown gets another 1st down at the 16. 6:00 to go. Rivers guns it to Allen at the 1, and he wheels from a beaten Michael Huff and smartly extends the ball across the plane for a Charger TD. Broncos 24, Chargers 14 Allen stands to be a rather high FFL draft pick next year, doesn't he? Great drive by San Diego, 80 yards in 2:30.
The way they're not stopping the Broncos, San Diego needs to think onside kick here. Phil Simms agrees. So do the Chargers, and a nice, high bouncer by Novak is recovered by Marshall for the Chargers after Decker botches it in the air for the Broncos. Well, well, well.
Shaun Phillips punks Fluker, then backtracks as Rivers tries to step up and mauls him for Denver's 4th sack. I'm surprised Rivers didn't fumble that. Nonplussed, Rivers hits Allen for 18 across midfield for a 1st down. Allen now turns Michael Adams inside out for 25 more down to the DEN17. Ihenacho collides with a teammate on the tackle and has to be helped off. Denver turns up the pressure and gets it to 3rd-and-5. Another blitz forces Rivers to throw one away out of bounds and send in Novak, who hits with no problem from 30 with 3:53 left.
I'm onside kicking again, btw. No, Mike McCoy gambles his defense can stop Denver for a rare time today and pooches to Holiday, who scoots out at the 27. A false start on Zane Beadles makes that decision look better already. Melvin Ingram and others crush Ball for a loss. Addae appears to knock himself out, but the Denver fans boo anyway because his injury also stops the clock. Actually, Ingram knocked himself out with about the third or fourth act of Charger-on-Charger violence today. D.Thomas can't scoop a low throw from Manning on 2nd-17, but the home crowd doesn't boo the clock stopping for that. They're actually throwing again, and J.Thomas comes up amazingly clutch for a 21-yard catch, dragging his right foot in while just inside the near sideline, AND HOW DO YOU LET SOMEONE GET OPEN BY SEVEN YARDS ON THIRD-AND-17? 3:01 left, and we'll be waving the Charger timeouts bye shortly. They spend one at 2:57, then, holding Moreno to 1 the next play, force Denver to snap it again before the 2:00 warning. Well-played, but Denver AGAIN converts on 3rd down, Manning hitting J.Thomas across midfield on a comeback. San Diego uses their last timeout at 2:02. EEK - a screen pass? to D.Thomas for 3 at the final clock stoppage. Moreno churns for about 5.5. Manning then tries to lure the Chargers offsides, actually fails for once, and calls timeout at 1:12. Moreno clinches it with a 4-yard plunge up the middle.
Final score: Broncos 24, Chargers 17
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| North Platte (Neb.) Post |
Manning only threw for 230, but he wasn't sacked, the Broncos ran for 133 and controlled the line of scrimmage all game, so for the second time this weekend, the POTG is going to a blocker, and I'm picking center Manny Ramirez. You could give it to Zane Beadles, too; his name was called a lot.
The over fails YET AGAIN for RamView but I still go 2-1 this game by hitting the sucker bet. I had Denver winning but San Diego covering the 10.
If the Broncos are like several other recent all-time single-season offenses - the 18-1 Patriots, the 1998 Vikings, the 2001 Rams - they're doomed to a gruesome postseason death, and who's more likely to deliver it than the Patriots, who have been pulling off shit-lucky finishes all season? That 4th-quarter Chargers comeback can't make Broncos Nation feel good about protecting a late lead of any size against Brady. I don't trust John Fox in big games, either, while that Patriot o-line sure looked pretty trustworthy last night. I'm rooting for Peyton, and hate predicting a Super Bowl that Rams Nation may wind up refusing to watch, but I've got the road teams next weekend.
As if their schedule wasn't hard enough already being in the NFC West, the Rams have to play the AFC West and its three playoff teams next year, including a San Diego team that looks like it's poised for a big move upward. McCoy's a good coach with a fine QB in Rivers and a lot of good young pieces coming together. I'd work on o-line and pass rush if I were running the Charger show; neither has been a strength for them for a while. They're at a spot competitively where it's time to get it done.
Enjoy the conference championships next Sunday!
-$-
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