Chargers Will be Tough to Beat

Got a little bit of a Broncos fix via the NFL Network and NFL Replay today. I recorded the program so I could do a little studying on how the game played out, and after watching it twice (slow motion-powered remote control handy), I didn’t come away from viewing our December loss to the Chargers (the second game, at Qualcomm) feeling very optimistic on beating them this year.

First, it should be noted that the game against the Chargers was probably one of our worst showings of the year. Take away the third quarter and the score is 48-3. Yeah, that’s pretty – no, horribly – bad. Everything seemed to go wrong that game, and if we are to take back the West this year it’s worth pointing out where we need to improve and how our off season has helped.

Special Teams Medoicrity – The first half was especially brutal, seeing us start behind the 20 yard line in virtually every posession. On top of that, the Chargers’ rookie Antonio Cromartie was on fire every return. And it wasn’t Paul Ernster‘s fault, either, that they were cotinually getting awesome field position – our special teamers weren’t making tackles. There was the one forced fumble in the third quarter that allowed us two touchdowns within 48 seconds of one another, but in general there was a huge lack of big plays. In the offseason, we didn’t draft any players that would impact our special teams, but we did address it with a few players in free agency, like fullback Paul Smith. Also, bringing by 3-time Pro Bowler Todd Sauerbrun is sure to improve our punting game as well.

Poor Pass Protection – Jay Cutler never had three seconds behind the line of scrimmage to get a pass going. He fumbled the ball several times, but only one of those I saw could be attributed to the center-quarterback exchange, and the others were all ball strippings and the like. I saw backup left tackle Erik Pears get beaten time after time; the rest of the O-Line seemed to struggle as well. And for the record, I love Pears – he did admirably in Matt Lepsis‘ absence, but his inconsistent play cost us our usual offensive dominance. Lepsis returning is the biggest change, although I’m still very worried about our entire right side. The battle over the starting spot for both right guard and right tackle remains, with Adam Meadows and Chris Kuper leading the way, is a legitimate concern. If we’re to return to our former offensive form, we need these guys to step up in a big way.

Poor Pass Rush – On the other end of the spectrum is our defensive line woes. It wasn’t until deep into the 4th quarter, when the game was all but over, that we finally started pressuring Philip Rivers and actually registered a sack. Rivers executed big play after big play to Antonio Gates, even scoring a rare touchdown through Champ Bailey‘s hand during a jump ball. We simply didn’t get enough pressure on the opposing quarterback. In the offseason, though, we addressed the defensive line over and over again, with our first two draft picks focusing on the pass rush and being complimented by a large amount of focus on the defensive tackle position. Our pass rush should be significantly improved through the moves.

Stopping the Run – A big deal whenever we face Ladainian Tomlinson, who broke numerous records against the Broncos, including the season touchdown record, scoring 7 of his 32 in the 2 games against us. LT worked us up and down the field, and we truly didn’t have an answer to his production all game long. With the releasing of Al Wilson, we’ll have to rely more heavily on the afforementioned revamped defensive line to stop the run before it gets going.

Bottom line – the Chargers worked us up and down that game, and it will take improvements on all fronts and across all positions to return the favor next year. I’ve felt all year that the Chargers were overrated, and I still stand by that assessment – but that day in December, they were the better team no matter which way you sliced it. We’ll have to count on our new players and schemes to really make a difference if we’re going to beat San Diego in 2007. And as you can tell by this post, that will be no small task.