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Broncos at Chargers: 3 things we learned

By Brad Weiss

Oct 13, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers tight end Hunter Henry (86) runs with the ball after a catch as he is defended by Denver Broncos strong safety T.J. Ward (43) during the first half at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 13, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers tight end Hunter Henry (86) runs with the ball after a catch as he is defended by Denver Broncos strong safety T.J. Ward (43) during the first half at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports /
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The San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos battled on Thursday Night Football. Here are three things we learned.

The San Diego Chargers played host to the Denver Broncos to open Week 6 of the NFL season, in an AFC West battle on Thursday Night Football. At 4-1, the Broncos were expected to go into San Diego and handle the Bolts, who have struggled out of the gate in 2016. However, the 1-4 Chargers played some serious defense against the Broncos, and were able to pull off the victory, 21-13.

During the first half, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers became the all-time leading passer in San Diego history. With a 12-yard pass to rookie tight end Hunter Henry, Rivers passed Dan Fouts on the all-time list. Since becoming the team’s starter in 2005, Rivers has been one of the best quarterbacks in the AFC, and he does not appear to be slowing down.

The Chargers have struggled to close out games in 2016, but they were able to take care of business in this one. A late Denver fumble halted a drive to make the game close, and despite the Broncos pulling to within eight late in the fourth, the Chargers were able to come away with their second win of the season.

Here are three things we learned from Thursday night’s action.

1. San Diego has some playmakers on defense

The San Diego Chargers came into Thursday night’s game having let up the most points in the division. In the last two weeks alone, the Bolts have allowed a combined 69 points, losing to both the New Orleans Saints and Oakland Raiders. On Thursday, the defense came up huge for head coach Mike McCoy, who may have been coaching for his life.

Last week, the Chargers finally got their first round draft choice on the field, as Joey Bosa made his NFL debut against the Raiders. He was able to notch two sacks, while putting pressure on Derek Carr all afternoon. This week, it was Jatavis Brown who was the defensive star, racking up 13 tackles to go along with a forced fumble late in the fourth quarter.

The Broncos are still looking for their identity on offense, as their quarterback had never started an NFL game before this season. Still, it was an impressive effort from a unit that has been much maligned in previous weeks. If the defense can play the way they did on Thursday, the Chargers may not be dead just yet.

2. The AFC West is wide open

The AFC West was supposed to be the Denver Broncos’ to lose, or at least the year the Kansas City Chiefs took over. The fact is, the division is still wide open, and after their loss on Thursday, the Broncos actually fell out of their first place tie with the Raiders. Oakland, at 4-1, will play host to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, which will also have huge divisional implications.

So far this season, the Chiefs have beaten the Chargers, the Chargers have beaten the Broncos, and the Raiders have beaten the Chargers. You can already begin to see that this is going to be one of those divisional races that goes down to the wire. The Chargers may not be at the top of the division all season, but they are going to give their divisional counterparts fits all year long.

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The Raiders are still very young, and the Broncos defense should keep them winning more than they lose this season. Kansas City has playmakers on both sides of the ball, and have one of the better game managers in the AFC. Each week is going to bring incredible matchups between these teams, and it could go down to the final weekend.

3. Trevor Siemian is going to be a good one

Just watching Trevor Siemian play, you can see that he has all the intangibles to be a good quarterback in this league. During the first half, he struggled against a San Diego defense that was trying to confuse him with different looks. The second-year quarterback missed last week’s loss to Atlanta due to an injury, so it took him a bit to get it going on Thursday night.

One thing you can see is that he has that never-say-die attitude you look for in a quarterback. The Denver offense was doing nothing on Thursday night, but he was able to protect the ball, and not make the huge mistake that would give the game away. When the team started rolling in the second half, it was Siemian putting the ball in tight spaces to move the ball down the field.

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Siemian is also very good at going through his progressions, which is very rare for a guy who has only started a couple of games at the NFL level. He also is not afraid to run for the first down, and plays with a fearless attitude that you just cannot teach. The Broncos may want to make Paxton Lynch their future quarterback, but Siemian is going to be a starter somewhere for a long time.

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