The top two teams in the AFC West will face off on Monday Night Football to determine the top spot in the division.
A win for San Diego would give them a two-game lead over Denver, while a win for Denver would tie them for first with San Diego.
Photo: Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Denver Broncos
Peyton Manning and the Broncos have struggled this season, with a record of 2-3, but they have easily had the hardest schedule of any team. Their losses are against the Falcons, Texans, and Patriots respectively. The Falcons are still undefeated, while the Texans just lost their first game of the season.
Peyton has not had a dropoff in production this season. He only has thrown three interceptions, which all came against the Falcons in Week 2. He has thrown for at least 330 yards in each of his last three games, while throwing a combined 8 touchdowns during that span.
The issue for Denver has been the defense, which was a main reason for their success last season.
In each of their three losses, the defense has allowed at least 27 points. The offense scored at least 21 in each of these games, but it was simply not enough.
San Diego does have an offense that routinely scores in the high twenties, so it will be interesting to see how the Denver defense handles them
San Diego Chargers
San Diego came into last week’s game against the winless Saints with a 3-1 record, but they lost their second game of these season, which also gave New Orleans their first win of the year.
The San Diego offense is right in the middle of the league in terms of yards, but they have been able to score at least 22 points in each of their wins. Their worst game came against Atlanta in Week 3, in which they only scored 3 points, but the Falcons are easily the top team in the league.
Phillip Rivers only threw for 188 yards in the team’s last meeting with Denver, but that was a different Denver team. The two teams split the season series last year, but with Peyton Manning in town, it is tough to make too many comparisons.
Broncos-Chargers Prediction
The Chargers were looking like they were a top team in the AFC before last week’s loss to New Orleans. Denver has faced the top teams in the league, and they will finally pull through against a team that is over .500.
Broncos 27 | Chargers 24
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Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers Game Info
- Broncos-Chargers Date: Monday, October 15
- Broncos-Chargers Kickoff Time: 8:30 PM
- Broncos-Chargers TV Network: ESPN
- Broncos-Chargers Point Spread: Chargers -1.5
- Broncos-Chargers Over-Under Odds: 50
About Steve Kubitza
