@ Denver

It’s come to judgement day for the San Diego Chargers season as the next sixty minutes of action will likely decide if the Bolts are still playing football in January or whether they are hitting the golf course. The news is in and if you are a Bolts fan it gets two thumbs up as Kyle Orton will not start this one after being unable to practice all week so Chris Simms will start in his place. Orton will dress however and be second on the depth chart for the Broncos so it’s not safe to rule him out completely if they are confident enough to put him on their active roster for the game. Some keys for this game will likely lie in the little things as special teams so often play a huge role in the big games at the NFL level. Both teams have two weapons returning kicks in Eddie Royal for Denver and Darren Sproles for the Bolts. Their ability to set their respective offenses up with good field position or simply do the damage on the scoreboard themselves will be a deciding factor in this game.

As always the atmosphere in Invesco Field at Mile High is hostile and the Chargers will have to persevere through some adverse conditions with the raucous energy from the Denver crowd. The Broncos start the game with the ball and an undisciplined penalty by Paul Oliver on the first play of the drive sets them up at midfield. From there the run gashes the Bolts as Correll Buckhalter and Knowshon Moreno pick up yards in chunks getting Denver into the red zone. On the first dropback by Chris Simms the Chargers get pressure off of the edge by Shaun Phillips and get stripped as the fumble is corralled by Steve Gregory and the Chargers take over. On the ensuing drive, the Chargers began with a strike thrown by Philip Rivers into the hands of Vincent Jackson followed by a sparkling run by LaDainian Tomlinson for 21 yards getting them into field goal position already. A roughing the passer penalty sets the Bolts up at the Denver 5 and they quickly capitalize with a Rivers pass to Legedu Naanee for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead. As Denver gets the ball back, some help from a penalty and a beautifully timed blitz by safety Eric Weddle and linebacker Kevin Burnett as the two take Simms to the turf and split the sack. After a Denver punt, the Chargers try some trickeration on two plays with a Wild Frog play and then a double reverse, but both go for not as the Broncos stop them near the line of scrimmage as the quarter comes to a close.

Quarter two begins with some meticulous throws by Rivers to Jackson and Antonio Gates as the Chargers enter the Denver red zone for the second time on the day. A critical third down stop by the Broncos leads to a Nate Kaeding field goal to push the lead to 10-0 Chargers. The Chargers continue to bring the heat on the inexperienced Chris Simms and make him throw before he is ready as the defense forces yet another three and out. San Diego begins another drive via the air as Rivers finds Vincent Jackson and Malcom Floyd for a pair of first downs as the Chargers near midfield again. Yet another phenomenal back shoulder throw to Jackson gets the Bolts into field goal range again inside the Denver 30. Nate Kaeding trots onto the field again for another field goal attempt after a failed screen pass dooms the drive and Kaeding converts to extend the lead to 13-0. After a nice return from Eddie Royal, Denver sends Kyle Orton onto the field as they abandon operation Chris Simms nearing the end of the first half. Orton ignites something in this Denver team as two big pass plays to Brandon Marshall and Jabar Gaffney position the Broncos at the Chargers five yard line. A first and goal run by Knowshon Moreno results in a fumble forced by Stephen Cooper recovered in the end zone for a touchback by Steve Gregory. This huge momentum shift could really give the Chargers some positive energy to head into the locker room at halftime with a 13-0 advantage.

That first half wasn’t pretty, but the score couldn’t be much better for the Bolts as they again utilize the bend but don’t break philosophy on defense allowing Denver into the red zone twice and surrendering zero points. The three timely turnovers forced by the Chargers defense really helped the Bolts blank the Donkeys in the opening half and some pressure defense should be expected in the second half as well. San Diego will start the 3rd quarter with the ball as the Broncos return the favor and bring some pressure of their own to force an early three and out and a nice kick by punter Mike Scifres. Denver’s drive marches into the red zone for the third time in the game as the lack of pressure by the Chargers front seven is allowing Orton ample opportunity to scan the field and locate the open receiver. Another bend but don’t break drive allowed by the Chargers only yields a Denver field goal as the score narrows to 13-3 San Diego. Orton comes up a bit hobbled on the final play of that drive gingerly hopping off of the field after the Bolts put a solid hit on him on his dropback. On the kickoff the Donkeys try a surprise onside kick that is snuffed out by an alert Legedu Naanee setting up great field position for the Chargers at the Denver 41. Some balanced play calling from there on in sets up a trick play throwback on a sweep to LT as he returns the ball to Rivers who finds Antonio Gates over the middle of the field getting the Chargers down to the Denver 3. Two runs from Tomlinson and some determination gets the Bolts into the end zone to stretch their lead to 20-3 as the onside kick attempt backfires for McDaniels and the Broncos. The Broncos get the ball back and courtesy of some suspect tackling by the Bolts defenders, Denver works the ball into San Diego territory on three quick plays. The moxy of Josh McDaniels continues as the Broncos gamble on fourth down at the Chargers 40 and fail to convert turning the ball over on downs with under four minutes left in the 3rd quarter. After the Bolts take over on downs, some grind it out offense begins as Rivers shakes up the snap count and gets the Broncos defense off balance.

The 3rd quarter comes to a close and LT looks to have that extra juice in his step as the game heads into the closing fifteen minutes. Tomlinson is nearing some elite company as within the next game or two he will move past the legendary Jim Brown on the all-time rushing yards list with over 12,200 on his fantastic career. Quarter four begins in the Denver red zone as the Bolts look to stretch this lead out even more. Rivers and company are unable to add a touchdown so Kaeding is called upon again to split the uprights and run the Bolts advantage to 23-3. As the Broncos take over on the change of possession, the Chargers produce more pressure keeping Orton off balance and forcing him to get rid of the ball before he is ready and a three and out returns the ball to the Bolts near midfield. Following a nice gallop from LT on first down for near 15 yards, Norv Turner calls an inside handoff to Mike Tolbert who gains another 25 yards taking the Chargers for another trip into the Denver red zone. Jeromey Clary who was questionable coming into the game managed to tough it out into the 4th quarter but was rollled up on the third and goal run by Sproles and needed the cart to get off of the field so things do not look good for his return in the future. The Chargers again summon Kaeding to the field and he adds his fourth field goal of the day to push the San Diego lead to 26-3. Denver gets the ball back with about ten minutes left in the game for their last hoorah and they begin with a pair of completions to move the ball for a first down. Denver continues the short passing game to work their way into the Chargers red zone dinking and dunking their way down the field. San Diego’s defense again stiffens in the red area to force another turnover on downs by the Broncos to all but put this game on ice. Another Mike Tolbert run up the gut adds six more points for good measure as the Bolts take this one going away 32-3.

This was a dominant performance by the Chargers and that is a positive sign moving forward with a lot of work left to do in this season before the real games begin in January. This victory will go a long way in getting the Bolts at least one home playoff game as they now hold a decided leg up on the Broncos in the AFC West. A great candidate for the player of the game today is the unsung Steve Gregory who took over midseason when the Bolts sent Clinton Hart packing. Gregory had at least a half dozen tackles on the day and his presence in the secondary was quite valuable for the Chargers in containing the Denver aerial attack. The Chargers again brought a balanced attack on offense with a near equal split between rushing and passing yardage on the day. The team is just a healthy offensive line away from penetrating the realm of the league’s elite as the month of December is quickly approaching.

Tags: Antonio Gates, Brandon Marshall, Chris Simms, Clinton Hart, Correll Buckhalter, Darren Sproles, Denver Broncos, Eddie Royal, Invesco Field, Jabar Gaffney, Jeromey Clary, Jim Brown, Josh McDaniels, Knowshon Moreno, Kyle Orton, LaDainian Tomlinson, Legedu Naanee, Malcom Floyd, Mike Scifres, Mike Tolbert, Nate Kaeding, Norv Turner, Paul Oliver, Philip Rivers, Shaun Phillips, Steve Gregory, Vincent Jackson