Chargers at Broncos: 3 things we learned

The Denver Broncos played host to the San Diego Chargers on Sunday, and were able to come away with the win in a very tight AFC West matchup.

If the old motto of defense winning championships plays out in the AFC West this season, the Denver Broncos should repeat as the division champs. The San Diego Chargers went into Denver flying high, as their offense had been clicking on all cylinders. After a first quarter touchdown, the Chargers offense was stalled, scoring only six offensive points the rest of the way.

That first quarter touchdown by the Chargers gave them their only lead of the game, as they went up 7-3 early. However, Bradley Roby picked off Philip Rivers for a pick-six in the second quarter, leading to the Broncos going into halftime with a 10-7 lead. Though San Diego’s Melvin Gordon did rush for over 100 yards, becoming the first player to do so against the Broncos in the last 21 games, Denver’s defense was once again elite on Sunday.

With the win, Denver moved its record to 6-2, which is good enough for a tie with the Oakland Raiders atop the AFC West. San Diego fell to 3-5, but has really played good football for the most part all season long. With Sunday’s matchup in the books, lets take a look a three things we learned from the Broncos 27-19 victory.

1. Devontae Booker can carry the load

The Denver Broncos unveiled their rookie running back a couple of weeks ago, and have been gradually getting him more involved in the offense. This past week, starting running back C.J. Anderson had to have surgery on his knee, and will likely be out for the rest of the season. Instead of trying to grab a veteran to absorb the blow, the Broncos handed the reigns to Booker, and he did not disappoint on Sunday.

Booker rushed for a team-high 54 yards, while scoring a touchdown for the second week in a row. Last week, Booker scored his first NFL touchdown against the Houston Texans, and he looked very comfortable finding paydirt against on Sunday. He can run through, or around defenses, and has the size and speed to carry the load for the Broncos the rest of the way.

Obviously, Booker is a rookie, and that means he is going to make mistakes. However, the Broncos have shown that they are winning to ride or die with their own talent, just like they did when they made Trevor Siemian their starting quarterback over Mark Sanchez. Booker also tied Demaryius Thomas for the team lead with five receptions, so he did a bit of everything for Denver on Sunday.

2. Melvin Gordon is getting better each week

Last season, many people were calling Melvin Gordon a bust, as the rookie from Wisconsin failed to reach the end zone in his rookie year. This year, Gordon has become the feature back for the Chargers, and he is quietly putting together a nice season. He seems to be getting better every week, and late in the game on Sunday, the Bolts actually favored the run over the pass for the first time in a long time.

Gordon rushed for 111 yards in the game, making him the first opponent to eclipse the 100-yard mark against the Broncos in the last 21 contests. The last player to do it was Jamaal Charles, who is a pretty good running back in his own right. Gordon rushed the ball 23 times, giving him at least 20 carries in each of his last three games.

Last week, Gordon scored three touchdowns against the Atlanta Falcons, and although he did not score on Sunday, he still carried the Chargers offense. The 100-yard game was his second of the season, and the 111 yards were a season-high. He is only 23-years old, and is starting to look more like a budding star than a bust.

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3. Denver is built for another Super Bowl run

The first goal of every team is to win their division, and in the AFC West, that is going to take a lot. This is the kind of division that could go down to the final weekend, and each team looks like they are good enough to beat each other up every week. Kansas City, Oakland, and Denver all won in Week 8, and they have only six losses between the three teams.

Oakland has the best weapons on offense in the division, and on Sunday, Derek Carr threw for over 500 yards in an overtime win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Kansas City is as balanced as any team in the NFL, mixing a solid offense with an even better defense. However, Denver’s defense is on another level, and is good enough to win the division for the sixth season in a row.

Quarterback Trevor Siemian continues to show growing pains, and they are down to only one real running back on their team. However, this same team won a Super Bowl with an elite defense and a mediocre offense last season, and they could do the same thing this year. Siemian will need to improve if they are going to seriously challenge for an AFC title, but all the pieces are in place for another deep playoff run in Denver.