The San Diego Chargers finally held on and sealed the deal with a fourth quarter lead against the Denver Broncos as they won 21-13 to improve to 2-4. Sporting their immaculate all blue uniform, they certainly lived up to the old adage “look good feel good play good.” Aside from a few late game mishaps this team played a complete game on offense, defense, and special teams. For the sake of keeping it real, any team would be nervous and have a few mishaps after blowing four fourth quarter leads. San Diego had a botched catch on a punt return twice and failed to secure the ball on an onside kick late in this one. Even the Chargers head coach Mike McCoy could not bear to witness the final four minutes of the game as he kneeled with his head down in disbelief. He knows winning will cure all the bad moments they have experienced. After the game, McCoy said, “There’s nothing like winning, especially beating a good team in front of our fans.”
The Chargers were up 21-3 following a holding penalty that resulted in a safety as they were on the verge of sealing the game a lot earlier. Interim head coach Joe DeCamillis, the Broncos special teams coordinator, did a good job coaching all game in the absence of Gary Kubiak. He activated some wild plays, which I call “DeCamillis Ball.” Following the safety, the Broncos punted the ball really short forcing Chargers offensive lineman Kenny Wiggins to fair catch it. Wiggins did everything, but catch the ball. As a result, Denver recovered it and proceeded to score. Then, on the ensuing kickoff, Brandon McManus executed a beautiful rolling onside kick where the Chargers only had two guys to recover. The Broncos recovered it and it looked as though another fourth quarter collapse was imminent. The Chargers defense stiffened and helped the club to snap their 10-game skid in the division.
Offensively, Philip Rivers could do no wrong as he made key throws that helped get his offense down the field. Rivers passed Chargers legend, Dan Fouts, for the most passing yards in franchise history. He connected again this week with Hunter Henry for a touchdown in the first half. Henry looks really comfortable on the field as he led the team with six catches for 83 yards. The Arkansas product has the looks of a special talent at tight end. Rivers spoke glowingly of the rookie as he said, “Gosh, he’s going to be a heck of a player.” Ken Whisenhunt elected to slow the game down this week as he called an even game. The Chargers ran and passed the ball 29 times each. Melvin Gordon had tough sledding against that vaunted Broncos defense, but he had a big 48-yard scamper in the third quarter.
How good has the sixth round pick out of Akron, Jatavis Brown, been? Through six games, Brown has to be in the defensive rookie of the year discussion with 42 tackles, 3.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. He has been a steal from this May’s draft especially in the absence of Manti Te’o and Denzel Perryman. Brown and the defense completely shut down CJ Anderson and Devontae Booker. The pass rushers forced a bunch of holding penalties by the Broncos offensive linemen. Trevor Siemian struggled as he threw it 50 times for 230 yards and a touchdown. It does not help when your guys, Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, cannot get open. The Pro Bowl receivers were held to nine catches for 75 yards. The improved pass rushing over the last few weeks has helped the Chargers corners in coverage. Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram, and Jerry Attaochu continue to find ways to embarrass offensive tackles.
Overall, this was a big win for McCoy and the Chargers. The season is still young with a lot of games left on their schedule. Sometimes a big win like this could catapult a team and get them going in the right direction. These are NFL players and millionaires, but they are not exempt from another old adage “hard work pays off.” This team has to continue to grind, trust in one another, and finish games.
The Chargers head to Atlanta to play the Falcons next Sunday.
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