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When the Chargers are on D
By Tom Krasovic3:14 p.m.Jan. 8, 2014
The San Diego Chargers vs. The Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field in Denver.
Usually, it's the Broncos who pull off a Mile High Miracle.
Someone else joined the club Dec. 12. What the Chargers' defense pulled off in San Diego's 27-20 victory was one of the NFL season's big stunners. Heck, call it a miracle.
The Chargers held the Broncos to 18 yards rushing. Eighteen yards.
Only one other time in 238 games had a Peyton Manning offense rushed for 18 yards or fewer. And disregard that 11-yard effort in a tuneup for the 2005 playoffs, because Manning departed in the first half and the Colts packed it in.
The Broncos sought a precious No. 1 playoff seed when the Chargers arrived last month, and Denver's run game had been thriving.
Did the Bolts overload against the run? Not really. They lined up with only two true linemen, allowing them to defend Air Peyton with a mix of linebackers and defensive backs. And two games earlier, the Bengals smoked San Diego's two-linemen fronts, mashing out 8.3 yards per carry.
The Broncos rushed 11 times. Not once did they create a clean running lane for Knowshon Moreno, who carried eight times for 19 yards. On his first rush, Moreno gained 6 yards only by eluding eluding rookie safety Jahleel Addae at the line.
Chargers linebackers played large. Melvin Ingram, two games into his comeback from knee surgery, clubbed 250-pound tight end Julius Thomas to the ground, gumming up one run. Reggie Walker whipped tight end Virgil Green, allowing him to ground Montee Ball for a 6-yard loss. Up front, a rotation led by Corey Liuget and Sean Lissemore outquicked Denver's hulks. Safety Marcus Gilchrist had a strong game, while playing nickel back for the first time this year.
The task figures to be tougher this Sunday, with the Broncos expected to regain receiver Wes Welker and their linemen's ears likely still ringing. The goal, though, remains the same. "If we don't stop the run," Eric Weddle said, "it's going to be bad because it opens up everything and then you have to honor everything."
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A lot of people have been unhappy with Cam Thomas to some degree, but did anyone notice Lissemore was missing and Cam Thomas started against the Bungles in last week's beatdown? That Cincy OL is much better than Denver's and we crushed them. Looks like our DL rotation should be at full strength this week and playing well along with our LBs. As mentioned in the article, the last Denver game was only the 2nd back for Ingram and the 1st for Gilchrist back at nickle, while Addae has come on at SS. If Pagano can dial up a good gameplan to stop the rush up the middle and our guys tackle on 1st contact and limit catches by those big WRs & TEs, we have a really good chance to win this.
When the Chargers are on D
By Tom Krasovic3:14 p.m.Jan. 8, 2014
The San Diego Chargers vs. The Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field in Denver.
Usually, it's the Broncos who pull off a Mile High Miracle.
Someone else joined the club Dec. 12. What the Chargers' defense pulled off in San Diego's 27-20 victory was one of the NFL season's big stunners. Heck, call it a miracle.
The Chargers held the Broncos to 18 yards rushing. Eighteen yards.
Only one other time in 238 games had a Peyton Manning offense rushed for 18 yards or fewer. And disregard that 11-yard effort in a tuneup for the 2005 playoffs, because Manning departed in the first half and the Colts packed it in.
The Broncos sought a precious No. 1 playoff seed when the Chargers arrived last month, and Denver's run game had been thriving.
Did the Bolts overload against the run? Not really. They lined up with only two true linemen, allowing them to defend Air Peyton with a mix of linebackers and defensive backs. And two games earlier, the Bengals smoked San Diego's two-linemen fronts, mashing out 8.3 yards per carry.
The Broncos rushed 11 times. Not once did they create a clean running lane for Knowshon Moreno, who carried eight times for 19 yards. On his first rush, Moreno gained 6 yards only by eluding eluding rookie safety Jahleel Addae at the line.
Chargers linebackers played large. Melvin Ingram, two games into his comeback from knee surgery, clubbed 250-pound tight end Julius Thomas to the ground, gumming up one run. Reggie Walker whipped tight end Virgil Green, allowing him to ground Montee Ball for a 6-yard loss. Up front, a rotation led by Corey Liuget and Sean Lissemore outquicked Denver's hulks. Safety Marcus Gilchrist had a strong game, while playing nickel back for the first time this year.
The task figures to be tougher this Sunday, with the Broncos expected to regain receiver Wes Welker and their linemen's ears likely still ringing. The goal, though, remains the same. "If we don't stop the run," Eric Weddle said, "it's going to be bad because it opens up everything and then you have to honor everything."
================================================== ================================================== =====
A lot of people have been unhappy with Cam Thomas to some degree, but did anyone notice Lissemore was missing and Cam Thomas started against the Bungles in last week's beatdown? That Cincy OL is much better than Denver's and we crushed them. Looks like our DL rotation should be at full strength this week and playing well along with our LBs. As mentioned in the article, the last Denver game was only the 2nd back for Ingram and the 1st for Gilchrist back at nickle, while Addae has come on at SS. If Pagano can dial up a good gameplan to stop the rush up the middle and our guys tackle on 1st contact and limit catches by those big WRs & TEs, we have a really good chance to win this.
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