State Of The Union: San Diego Chargers Defense Week 15
The San Diego Chargers welcome the Denver Broncos to Qualcomn Stadium for an AFC West title fight. The winner of this game will be in position to win the AFC West. The Chargers defense has the tough task of facing an angry Peyton Manning coming off one of his worst games last week.
Last week Peyton Manning threw for 173 yards and 2 interceptions. It ended a streak of 50+ games with a touchdown pass and he looked off without Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas. This week it looks like Julius might not play and Demaryius will give it a shot. The Broncos previous game vs. the Chargers saw Emmanuel Sanders and Ronnie Hillman having big games. Sanders will look to repeat but C.J. Anderson runs the backfield now.
C.J. Anderson ran for 3 touchdowns against a top 10 Buffalo defense. Last week the Chargers allowed Leggarette Blount to run 20 carries for 60 yards which allowed the Patriots to control the clock. C.J. Anderson has been running strong and the Chargers defense needs to step up against him. Corey Liueget and Melvin Ingram have a great shot to force Anderson inside to Manti Te’o and Anderson will be forced to accept few yards. Once Anderson is shut down then you have to stop an angry Peyton Manning.
Peyton Manning might be without Julius Thomas but he will have a healthier Demaryius Thomas, a 100% Emmanuel Sanders, and a dependable Wes Welker. Brandon Flowers is expected to play man up on Demaryius Thomas so watch for the passing flow to see Emmanuel Sanders. Since the Chargers lost Jason Verrett, Shareece Wright has been the 2nd corner but if he is not doing well on Sanders then Marcus Gilchrist might double team. Eric Weddle should be freed up all over the field because he is the only Chargers player that can be in Peyton’s head the whole game. Peyton had too much time last game so watch for Dwight Freeney and Melvin Ingram wreaking havoc in the backfield.
The Chargers defense can cross all their fingers that the Broncos offensive woes continue but both teams are gearing up for a playoff run. We will see these teams at their best and if the Chargers defense can stop the Broncos at least 3 times then maybe the Chargers offense can get ahead. The game will be at 1:05 p.m. Pacific Time on CBS.