Yes, San Diego beat Denver on Thursday night to give themselves some hope. And they had a good go at letting the Broncos back into the game last night. “It was too little, too late”, said Siemian, who was 30 of 50 for 230 yards, with a 5-yard scoring pass to Bennie Fowler midway through the fourth quarter.
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San Francisco (1-4) has lost four straight and seeking any semblance of a spark, which is one of the reasons first-year coach Chip Kelly made the switch at quarterback by benching Blaine Gabbert. And you can thank the offensive line for that. The running game disappointed with only 84 yards.
“You have to talk about them and show them”.
And the defense appeared out of sync and a shell of its former self.
It makes it even better that Denver’s loss snapped what was a 15-game winning streak against divisional opponents on the road.
The Chargers made their mark early, as they so often have this season.
This victory by no means saved San Diego’s season as they’re still probably the weakest link in the AFC West. Broncos kicker Brandon McManus missed a 56-yard field-goal try at the end of the third quarter, so the Chargers entered the final 15 minutes of the game needing to protect a 16-point lead that felt tenuous at best.
The Falcons last Sunday and the Chargers on Thursday had success getting the football to tight ends and running backs, choosing not to test cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr. One play later, Jatavis Brown flies in for a 10-yard sack.
The Chargers had a 21-3 lead with 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Then, on the ensuing onside kick, Denver recovered the ball at the San Diego 46 with 26 seconds remaining. It was a chance to reverse the lopsided stat sheet and scoreboard.
Hunter Henry #86 of the San Diego Chargers catches a pass as T.J. Ward #43 of the Denver Broncos defends during the first half of a game at Qualcomm Stadium on October 13, 2016 in San Diego, California.
For the second game in five days, Denver’s offense was mistake-prone, stagnant and predictable.
Because at least four weeks of game film exist on each National Football League team, the “rebuild-ables” have assessable bodies of work.
Siemian had trouble when his first read was covered, and he was pressured by the Chargers’ front most of the first half. The Broncos’ bleeding continued.
Two plays later, Demaryius Thomas dutifully fumbles for the second time this season and a touchdown becomes a turnover. The play calling was predictable, and the offense sputtered.
It had to get worse, though.
Right tackle Donald Stephenson had three flags in his return to the lineup after a three-week absence with a strained left calf and left tackle Russell Okung had two holding penalties, one of which resulted in a safety and the other nullified a touchdown.
Like they did in weeks one, three, and five, the Broncos defense surrendered a touchdown on the opening drive.
The penultimate series ended in fitting fashion for the Broncos: another holding penalty, a sack, another fumble.
After those two losses, though, the Broncos put together a run that will not be forgotten anytime soon.
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Next up, the Broncos take on former QB Brock Osweiler and the Houston Texans in Denver on a Monday night game on October 24.
