Broncos Clinch AFC West with win over Chargers

The Broncos clinched their 4^th straight AFC West title on Sunday with a 22-10 win over the Chargers in San Diego. It was also the third straight division title with Peyton Manning at the helm. It was a game in which Manning played with the flu, a thigh injury suffered in the second quarter, and a defense which completely dominated the Chargers offense. Here are my thoughts and observations on the game….

1)    Congrats to John Fox on his 4^th division title in his first four years as head coach. Interestingly enough, Fox has more division titles (4) than Mike Shanahan had (3).

2)    The Broncos also clinched their third straight division title under Peyton Manning. You think the Manning signing worked out? It will be the Broncos fourth straight season in the playoffs after missing the playoffs five straight years from 2006-2010.

3)    With Manning battling the flu, the Broncos focused on the ground game and timely passes. Manning only attempted 20 passes for the game. C.J. Anderson was once again effective, but the Broncos struggled in the redzone. This game was 9-0, when it could have been a lot worse. On the first drive, Manning missed a wide open Emmanuel Sanders and instead threw incomplete to Demaryius Thomas. The second drive, no one was open and Manning had to throw it away on 3^rd down. The third time in the redzone it looked like Denver scored an apparent touchdown  by Anderson on 3^rd and goal. The replay reversed the call, and the Broncos settled for a 19 yard field goal and a 9-0 lead. Manning went into the locker room to get treatment on his thigh, and didn’t come back out. After a quick 3 and out by the Chargers, Denver and John Fox did something that really didn’t make sense.

4)    Instead of sitting on the 9-0 lead, and San Diego only down to their last timeout, Brock Osweiler entered the game and instead of having him hand off three times and get to the second half up 9-0, the Broncos had him throw the ball! The first down throw was almost intercepted, the second down throw was incomplete and called for intentional grounding, and the third down run by Anderson was highlighted by him going out of bounds. Naturally, Eddie Royal made a big return on the following punt, and San Diego cashed it in with a field goal and the score was 9-3 at the half.

5)    That was an inexcusable set of events by the Broncos and their staff. Don’t let Osweiler throw there. Don’t give the Chargers the ball near the end of the half. Awful, awful clock management situation by Fox and the rest of the offensive staff.

6)    Give credit to Manning because he made the two biggest throws of the second half. He hit Demaryius Thomas on a 28 yard touchdown to make it 16-3 in the third quarter. He also hit Sanders on a huge 33 yard third down strike when the lead was cut to 16-10. It changed field position and gave the Broncos a chance to extend their lead to 19-10. Manning show a lot of guts playing the game being sick the way he was. It just adds another chapter in his long and storied career.

7)    The defense deserves the credit because they just smothered the Chargers and Phillip Rivers all game long. They held the Chargers to only 288 total yards. They shut down the running game and forced Rivers to get rid of the ball early. The coverage was awesome in the secondary. No one was open. They kept showing the replays after passing plays and the Broncos completely blanketed the Charger receivers. Outside of the one drive in the second half, where Rivers drove the Chargers down for a touchdown, the Broncos defense dominated. Whatever the outcome of this season is it is safe to say that I am confident in our defense. They might not be good enough to win it all, but I like our chances with them.

8)    Aqib Talib baited Rivers into a throw, and Talib made the defensive play of the game by stepping in front and intercepting the throw with the score 19-10 late in the 4^th quarter. That pick led to another Connor Barth field goal and the score was widened to 22-10.

9)    Give Rahim Moore credit because he has played really well the last three weeks. He effectively ended the game when he stepped in front of another Rivers pass and intercepted it in his own endzone to preserve the 22-10 victory. Hats off to the defense, and they deserve the game ball.

10) Broncos have now won 12 straight road games in the AFC West. Fox has not lost a road game in the division since he took over at coach. The Broncos are now 16-1 in divisional games since Peyton Manning took over. The Broncos also have now won four straight road games in KC and San Diego.

11) The Broncos did suffer some injuries. Obviously, Manning hurt his thigh but he should be okay for Monday Night’s game at Cincy. Ryan Clady hurt his quad, but he should be okay going forward. LB Brandon Marshall sprained his foot, but he should be back for the playoffs. Unfortunately, LB Danny Trevathan dislocated his knee and he will be out for the rest of the season. 

12) The Broncos are now 11-3 and are still in the thick of the race for the top seed in the AFC with the Pats. Denver has a very important game at Cincy on Monday Night Football in Week 16. If we can get the Pats to somehow slip up here, then maybe Denver can find its way back to the # 1 seed.

13) One last thing: There is nothing better than clinching the division a week before Christmas. I ordered my 2014 Broncos AFC West Champions t-shirt just in time to be delivered by Christmas Eve. Thanks again Broncos!