Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Broncos Outlast Chargers 24-21 in Season Opening Win!

The Broncos pulled out a 24-21 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football to start the 2017 season. The Broncos took advantage of calling a timeout right before the Chargers kicked the game tying field goal with no time left. The second time around Shelby Harris blocked the kick and the Broncos clinched the 24-21 win. The Broncos nearly blew a 24-7 lead in the fourth quarter, but they were able to pull it out and get the win. This year, I'm going to do my game recaps with a "Five Points" from the game. So, without further ado, here are my five points about the Broncos 24-21 win over the Chargers.

1) I really liked the way that Trevor Siemian played. He was solid and efficient. He finished 17-28 for 219 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT. He also added a touchdown run as well. I'm still not sold on Trevor Siemian as the long-term answer at QB, but you have to like what you saw from Week 1. If he plays this way, the Broncos will be a threat to make the playoffs.

2) I thought after letting Melvin Gordon get some big runs early on, the Broncos defense settled down well and held him to only 54 yards. Shaq Barrett played really well, and even Adam Gotsis got in on the action. I also liked the game that Todd Davis played, including his big stop on 4th down on Gordon on a 4th and 1 in the fourth quarter.

3) I liked the redzone offense by the Broncos early on. Bennie Fowler caught two TDs and Siemian ran one in to give the Broncos a 24-7 lead. They held that lead in the 4th quarter, and although they couldn't extend that lead thanks to a 50 yard field goal miss by Brandon McManus, the early redzone touchdowns were the difference.

4) The Broncos were fortunate to hold off the Chargers, and when you have a 24-7 lead midway through the 4th quarter, it can't become a close game. An interception on a pass interference non-call lead to a Keenan Allen TD to make it 24-14, and a Jamaal Charles fumble led to another touchdown  to make it 24-21. Mistakes brought the Chargers back into the game, and if it wasn't for those turnovers, the Broncos would have cruised in this one. In any event, you'll take the win because 1-0 is still 1-0.

5) Great job by Vance Joseph in calling the timeout right before the game tying kick late in the game. Shelby Harris blocked the next attempt and the Broncos were victorious. Gary Kubiak did the same exact thing to Carolina last year in the season opener and Graham Gano missed the next kick to give Denver the win last year. Same exact thing happened this year. I also thought that Vance Joseph did a nice job in his first ever regular season game as a head coach. I was impressed by Joseph as opposed to Chargers new head coach Anthony Lynn, who made his debut in his first NFL game as a head coach. Let's hope Joseph can get the Broncos ready for a big Week 2 game at home on Sunday afternoon against the Dallas Cowboys. Let's Go Broncos!

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