Week 2 Preview - San Diego Chargers/Denver Broncos

The San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos will renew acquaintances this Sunday when they meet at Invesco Field. Although it’s only the second week of the NFL season, this match up will have major ramifications for the AFC West. For San Diego, this game presents an opportunity to erase the heartbreaking memory of last weeks defeat while securing a share of the division lead. The Broncos also recognize the importance of this early season meeting, knowing a victory would give them a two game lead over the Chargers and sole possession of first place in the division. The rivalry between these two division foes produced some memorable moments last year, including the Broncos being humiliated 41-3 at their own stadium and Philip Rivers verbally sparing with some Denver players. Although I expect that the players on both teams will show a little more class this Sunday, you can bet that week two will provide yet another chapter in this storied division rivalry. Let’s take a look at the three major factors that should decide this game….

Keys To The Game

1) How Will Cutler Perform? - Although Jay Cutler looked very impressive against the Raiders last week, he was terrible when playing against the Chargers last season. For example, during the two meetings last year between these teams Cutler completed only 54% of his passes while throwing three interceptions and no touchdowns. Subsequently, the Chargers were able to stack the line of scrimmage and limit the Broncos rushing attack. If the Broncos want to have any success offensively in this game, they will need to diversify their attack and rely on a more efficient performance from their young QB. This game could come down to the ability of the Chargers secondary to contain Denver WR’s Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal.

2) Run LT, Run - The Chargers will rely heavily on their rushing attack throughout this game, and that means a lot of carries for superstar running back LaDainian Tomlinson. The Broncos D struggled to contain the run last season, finishing 30th in the league against the rush and allowing five different running backs to break the 100 yard rushing plateau. The Broncos run defence was also a liability against the Raiders last week and this should bold well for LaDainian, who averaged just under 130 combine yards (rushing and receiving) per game against the Broncos last year.

3) Linebacker By Committee - With the season ending injury to Shawne Merriman and the suspension of Stephen Cooper, the Chargers will be without two of their starting linebackers for at least the next three games. The absence of these two players will test the Chargers depth at the linebacker position, thus resulting in more playing time for Derek Smith (inside linebacker) and Jyles Tucker (outside linebacker). Although Tucker should see the majority of the reps at starting outside linebacker, San Diego plans on occasionally utilizing Marques Harris and Antwan Applewhite in this position. It’s certain that the Broncos will try and exploit the changes in the Chargers linebacking core for their own advantage, and the ability of the Chargers coaching staff to minimize their vulnerability on this issue will be crucial. It will be an intriguing storyline to follow throughout the game, particularly the performance of Jyles Tucker against the Broncos offensive line.

Injury Report

With the number of injured players currently on the San Diego roster, I have a feeling the injury report will become weekly tradition in my articles for the foreseeable future. Although the drama surrounding the injury to Shawne Merriman recently came to an end, there are still plenty of key San Diego players dealing with injuries. For example, it looks like we are still a couple of weeks away from either Nick Hardwick and Marcus McNeil returning to their position on the starting offensive line. There are also numerous Chargers who are currently dealing with injuries but expected to play on Sunday, including LaDainian Tomlinson (toe), Jamal Williams (knees) and Antonio Gates (hip). There also remains some uncertainty around the condition of starting cornerback Antonio Cromartie, who suffered a hip injury in last weeks game and will be a game time decision for Sunday. The loss of Cromartie would obviously be a huge blow to the Chargers secondary, and would force rookie CB Antoine Cason into a starting role.

Alright everyone, that’s all I have for now. I hope you all enjoy the action on Sunday, and be sure to check back to sportstalkbuzz throughout the weekend as we will be providing constant analysis.

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Last post (s) by Brandon Campbell

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