Third-and-9 from the San Diego 35: After San Diego started their first possession with a first down on the second play from scrimmage, the Broncos ended the drive before it could gain momentum when linebacker Wesley Woodyard hit Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers as he released a third-down pass, forcing it to fall harmlessly incomplete.
Third-and-1 from the Denver 46: San Diego had good field position after a missed Matt Prater 55-yard field goal attempt. That didn’t matter for the Broncos defense as it forced a three-and-out capped by Woodyard’s 1-yard tackle for a loss on third-and-one.
Third-and-5 from the San Diego 36: With the Denver offense still looking for its first points, quarterback Peyton Manning found an open Matthew Willis and the receiver turned upfield for a 10-yard gain that extended the drive. Two plays later Manning hit wide receiver Demaryius Thomas for a 13-yard touchdown to tie the score 7-7.
First-and-10 from the San Diego 20: On the first play of the ensuing Chargers drive, Woodyard stepped in front of a Rivers pass for his third interception of the season. The linebacker returned the pick 25 yards to the San Diego 8-yard line to set up a Matt Prater field goal.
Third-and-12 from the San Diego 49: After San Diego started the second half with an onside kick recovery, the Denver defense stood its ground and forced a three-and-out. On third down, Von Miller broke into the backfield and dropped Rivers for a 6-yard loss and forced a fumble that the Chargers recovered.
Third-and-4 from the San Diego 46: Miller struck again on third down, sacking Rivers and forcing a fumble for a second time in the third quarter. Woodyard recovered and returned it to the San Diego 25. Three plays later, the Broncos found the end zone on Manning’s 20-yard pass to wide receiver Eric Decker to put the team ahead 24-9.
Kickoff from the San Diego 35: The second Chargers onside kick attempt of the half wasn’t a surprise and wasn’t successful as tight end Virgil Green fell on the loose ball to give Denver a chance to run out the clock. Denver was held to a three-and-out, turning the ball back to San Diego with 30 seconds to play.
2nd-and-6 from the San Diego 17: Just like the Chargers’ last snap of the team’s previous matchup in Week 6, Elvis Dumervil ended the game by strip-sacking Rivers. The sack came with 17 seconds left on the clock and despite Rivers’ recovery of the fumble, time ran out to give Denver the win.
Tags: Key Plays, San Diego Chargers, Week 11
And Props to Irving! I enjoyed him blocking the punt, but liked it even more when he piled up Eddie Royal on the PR that SD had called back… it was GREAT
Von Miller is an absolute BEAST! He is quickly becoming one of the best football players in the NFL!
Interesting stat I found on ESPN.
“Von Miller has 3 sacks vs the Chargers, giving him 24.5 for his career in his 25th game. The only player with more sacks in his first 25 career games is Derrick Thomas (25).” – ESPN Stats & Information
I love my #58 Jersey! I’ve worn it every Sunday since I got it… Good Stat MM15
It is a good stat. What really makes it interesting is the fact that Derrick Thomas is the one who has more than Von. Von wears #58 as a tribute to Thomas. kind of Ironic!
I too love my Miller jersey, but I also love my Manning jersey!… oh what the heck, I love all my Bronco jerseys!
Miller is going to have another 3 sack game against the Chiefs and dumervil is going to get his too.. this season is special because we might finish the season with two double digit sack players on our D
Man we are being spoiled this season lol but I am loving it go Broncos!!
I couldn’t post during the game either – it said my one comment was deemed inappropriate???
I wrote, “the Charger shall hereby be known as – the fumbling team!!! – as labelled by no lesser authority than the NFL, 1st string, referee.” LOL hahahahaha!!!
Hello – am I banned???
OH – there I am! I was on the wrong page…. LOL
^LOL kinda hard to read your comment if you’re on the wrong page, could it be cause the day is still very young?
I would like to see Knowshon, I think He could blow some stuff up this late in the season with fresh leg’s. I just wonder why He’s in the dog house….
I also love me some Double J, He could be a real work horse if he is given the chance. We shall see….
This is a Great Win, but it was closer than the score show’s. I knew Danario Alexander was gonna shine and Gates is alway’s a factor.
Holliday better hold onto that ball better, he must have small hands. But Great moves….
TIME OF POSSESSION ! ! !
GO BRONCOS ! ! !
Glad to have our first sweep of the chargers in a long time. Glad to have DJ Williams back albeit at a limited pace. (Man balls day in and day out, people like to have short memory when it comes to him). Glad we got another win.
Would still like to see more Moreno as I always have, like mono him coming in fresh would be awesome. He aint built for durability but with only a few games left he should be able to give us just enough before he hurts himself again. Dunno why he is in the dog house either. Never understood how Ball was ahead of him. But I just never liked ball so i am biased. Just remember his inability to catch in the past tho he has made strides, still fumbling tho. Don’t think Hillman can handle the load on his own so he will need help. Luckily we are more of a passing team these days than a running team. The screen is more our run game but it seems teams are catching on.
Have a good week folks and Happy Thanksgiving week.
Later days,
TRB out…
@tlcat06: THIS is my new favorite picture from any #Bronco game this year!!! @EricDecker87 @OFranklin74 http://t.co/Xp0AUEa4
Not true that we are more of a passing team. Might look that way but stats say otherwise and it was obvious that Peyton and the offense were struggling without Willis. All the sacks happened when he wasn’t in there. They had a really difficult time without him. He is very important to this offense. I get now why he won’t be benched for fumbling and I am royally furious at Jammer for going after his knee like he did. No Peyton needs the run game and if we can’t get it back its going to be an adjustment.
When was the last time we were 6th overall in defense when was the last time our rush defense was 6th when was the last time we were number 1 in sacks in the league. All credit to JDR for one hell of a job
Great game against the Chargers, exciting and we got the win. I was actually a bit worried near the end when the Chargers scored the TD and went for the onside kick. I thought our guys went into coast mode a bit too early. Also great teams can run the ball to run out the clock, we however did not do that. The Chargers should’ve never gotten the ball back.
I sure hope McGahee is alright and it isn’t anything too serious that will cause him to be out for too long. I thought our running game declined slightly after he went out. He’s just got a lot of power and is a strong back. While Hillman will break long ones McGahee will pound it up in there for 5 yards and get a first. We definitely need a change of pace back and I thought McGahee and Hillman were a good combination. Ball stepped in good and had some good pass protection pickups and a couple of good runs as well. If anymore of our RBs go down, we might be seeing more of Moreno, who knows.
Our guys need to be awake and alert. I told my wife the Chargers were going to onside kick it to start the half…and they did. We need to be ready for things like that. When teams are struggling they’ll pull some stuff out of the bag to see if it will work. For the Chargers it did work. As the season wears on we need to be ready for things like that. Spoilers and teams fighting for a playoff spot will do anything they can to get there. Just need to make sure we’re ready for trickery.
Holliday, you gotta hold onto the ball! If he’s not flipping it too early he’sfumbling it when being tackled. He’s and explosive player but if he can’t hold on to the ball he’ll find himself on the bench pretty soon.
Manning was Manning, couldn’t knock him too much of the tipped INT. But some of his passes sailed and I don’t think it was because he needs more time with his WR. I think they just sailed on him, even John Elway had some of those passes. It just happens.
The defense..Wow!!!! They were dominant, and Miller is looking like a much better pick then Cam the Scam Newton! Awesome to see us playing lights out! JDR will probably be offered an HC job somewhere next season, seems that’s how it goes for any DC that we have that is worth a darn.
Gotta get ready for the Chiefs. Hopefully out guys don’t over look them. First time this season we’ve seen them and I can tell you just because their 1-9 doesn’t mean anything. Those are the games that you end up losing by overlooking your opponents. Just gotta be ready for anything!
30 points was not enough.
I had them winning 38-24.
So now you all know why I was so miffed at the conservative play that took away at least a shot at one more TD.
Sometimes it’s that simple.
But regardless of that our O still needs to hit a higher gear come playoff time, and I’m pretty confident they will, but a lot of it will have to do with how healthy we stack up with our thin running game. And Decker may have to work a little harder on his fundamentals if he wants to regain the go to guy status we felt he was getting from Manning earlier but that now has clearly been taken over by Stokley.
Manning and Stokley, both 36 years old, there is such thing as experience matters in every walk of life, good for the “old” guys. And that should make the young ones hungrier which is a good thing. Nice to have that age balance, same on D with a guy like Bailey and every young one around him wants to have the success he’s had.
I like this team a LOT.
Except for the running backs corp.
Way too thin because I always thought McGahee would have problems lasting out the season in prime form just like last year, specially if we go deep in the playoffs. So far he has done a marvelous job, but you can see the telling signs that the going is going to get tougher and tougher for him.
We need more at the position which unfortunately I don’t feel we have on the roster.
Add a premier running back next year and it will be even a more comfortable season to watch, if that’s even possible.
But of course this doesn’t do anything for this year so it will be up to the coaches to do the best with the roster they chose to go to battle with in the off season. It will be interesting to see what that is…. because McGahee is starting to show the wear and tear like last year, Hillman can’t block for his life meaning when he is in the opposition knows that the play probably won’t be a pass that requires protection, put average talent Ball in and the opposition knows he can block so a pass is more likely, so it’s down to a chess match where too much of the strategy is revealed. Hence those things will make it the most interesting development to watch unfold in the upcoming weeks for me.
It’s also now down to folks wanting Moreno or JJ, make your pick; using a guy who has purposely been put in the dog house for reasons we are unclear about but that are certainly crystal clear to the coaching staff, or bringing in a guy off the PS is certainly not very reassuring either… The main bright spot in all that to me is seeing Studesville coaching the running backs on the sideline, I count on you to get the best out of what you got, and best of luck with that. I bet Manning wishes you the same, LOL.
Brian, you’re right. While I don’t believe teams overlook opponents very often, I do think teams like the Chiefs (1-9) having nothing to lose. They are expected to get beat at home. I promise they would find a lot of content with this abysmal season by beating up on a divisional foe that’s as hyped as the Manning led Broncos. This will NOT be an easy game. However, if Denver comes out and sticks it to them early, the Chiefs will pack it in. I wouldn’t suggest giving them a glimmer of hope late in the game, though. As long as the score is within reach, Arrowhead will be loud and the Chiefs will proudly protect their home. We better hold on to the ball…it’s a current problem. This will be the second time since 2003 that I won’t be at Arrowhead for the Bronco game….SHOOT!
“Arrowhead will be loud”
Just take a good read at this, this is not the Arrowhead of old, just saying:
http://www.kansascity.com/2012/11/17/3922160/grassroots-fan-movement-could.html
It will be easy to break their will IMO.
Not a pretty win, but a win nonetheless. Just look at the Texans and Falcons being tested by much lesser opponets. These types of weeks happen in the NFL, where against conventional wisdom, any team is capable of a win any given week. Good teams find ways to win these ugly games, as no one remembers these details when looking at a team record.
I’m looking forward to seeing the play breakdown per player that the site does, I’ve come to really enjoy seeing that.
I agree about the run game, as I went on and on this offseason talking about how it would be an issue. Now I’m left talking up Moreno, which I’m glad to do temporarily, but it needs to be finally addressed, and I’m sure our FO realizes it. I do think we have enough to get through this season however.
Yeah, strand, you and I have been most vocal over the lack of commitment to acquiring running back talents, and now a few more are joining the fold….
Good Article, Bay.
I certainly think their will may be broken quickly, not after Manning hits 2 TD’s in the first half, but when Miller and Dumervil order up a Cassel Sandwich. I think the only question will be who actually gets there first to record the sack. It is important McG is ok, though. I think our best RB after him is Ball. Hillman is great for about 10 carries, but in the 4th qtr we need a bigger back like Ball…who has quick feet for a bigger back. I think we will see Moreno get about 10 touches, too if McG can’t go.
Let’s not forget that the run game starts up front, and we will get a boost with Kuper’s return. Ramirez has done his best, but there is a big drop off between the two.. I hope Blake is what we think he is, when he gets healthy, but I can see us take another OL in the draft.
Like Martin would of been nice instead of Wolfe, but it’s all water under the bridge now. The D line without Wolfe would be a lot less of a drop off than the huge boost we would of gotten bringing Martin in to the running game, just my opinion.
I dont know if anyone has reported this or not. But this past week when DJ Williams came back he restructured his deal.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/d-j-williams-returns-broncos-active-roster-restructured-151923021–nfl.html
Yeah, I enjoy seeing divisional franchises fan base fall apart. Aren’t they all about now? Chargers and KC for sure, and maybe the Raider fans are too uneducated to figure it out, LOL.
Thanks alaska, that’s the best thing I heard about DJ so far.
You can’t look back like that IMO. I’m fine with the Wolfe pick, as he does a lot of the dirty work that might not show up on the stat sheet. He’s the type of player who will blossom and improve drastically from year one to year two. He reminds me a little of JJ Watt, I don’t remember anyone talking about Watt his rookie season. Plus, we don’t know how many carries Martin would have got in our offense with McGahee, or how he picks up the blitz, which is more important with Manning as your QB than Freeman. Apples to oranges IMO.
It has been a long time since we’ve dominated our division. I like the Wolfe pick, still. Our backfield is/was crowded and our DL wasn’t. I think RB will need addressed moving on, but building the lines has proven to be far more important in building a winning team. RB’s come and go very quickly. I would like to see more help at S and both lines.
I can look at it however I want, LOL.
As Namath just said this week:
“I am a fan. I can say whatever I want. This is AMERICA”
And TRB is on my side, haha.
Haha.. I didn’t mean you specifically bay.
Great point, Bay!
Do you know how I know I”M A FAN?
I think throwing a hex will make the other team miss a FG.
I yell at the ref, ON TV, for making a call against the Broncos…even when the hold was a TEXTBOOK HOLDING INFRACTION.
I think I have an influence on the game….like buying a new tv, when they lose, I take the TV back and watch the next week on my OLD TV as that’s the one they last won on.
OH, to be a fan…I lose my frickin mind every Sunday…even if we’re winning!
I guess my point is, it’s easy to say certain players would be good on different teams in the NFL, but I’m not sure it’s that simple.
McGahee is scheduled to have an MRI today. Hopefully it isnt anything bad. Our offense was struggling most of the day especially after he went down. Didnt help that Hillman had something not feel right. Everytime Ball carried the ball I was holding my breath that fumbles would well not fumble.
You can tell you have a good team when your offense is struggling and still put up 30 points.
Our D was GREAT till they slacked off some at the end. Didnt help that Rivers really got his sights on Carter who had a huge height disadvantage. Von was a beast all game which isnt really a surprise. I was a bit surprised Doom played. I read somewhere Saturday he would be held out just to have an extra week to get healthy. However it was a good surprise as he had a good game as well. Some plays he looked 110 others he didnt look like he was at 50% DJ was making plays almost all game long. I was happy to see him back and making plays. Its like he didnt miss a beat.
Rivers was scared all game long of our pass rush. The last play when he gave up was just great! Also a sack earlier by Vin when Rivers was calling for a slide to the right to pick up Von and the OL didnt do it was hilarious. How pissed he was when he got back up was just great! On the Woodyard pick Rivers didnt even attempt to look off defenders. All Woodyard did was back pedal and had the ball thrown right to him.
Kuper to Ramirez is a huge drop off and hurt our OL.
Sports fan, good
Football fan, great
Bronco fan, priceless
Im a little peeved about the last drive of the first half. Mainly the last play and how long it took the refs to spot the ball. I was really hoping for that 64+ yard FG attempt from Prater LOL
As for Wolfe and Martin. I like the Wolfe pick. When he came out for a few plays or DL looked a bit weaker than when he was in. Like OT said who knows how many carries Martin wouldve had in Denver. At draft time we were weak on the DL. Hopefully this next draft we can get a good RB that can do the things Hillman cant and what McGahee can to replace him. Our run game was going to slack off a bit from last year but it was solid all year long till McGahee went down. It was good enough.
DJ will be fine. I’m biased because he’s one of ours, we drafted him. I still have his back, as some people take longer than others to fully grow up (my hand is raised)..
Let’s just say we didn’t sit on our hands and actually drafted someone in the first round of last year’s draft. We could’ve taken Doug Martin at #25. Then at #57 instead of taking Osweiler we take Wolfe. Then we do some more moving and work on getting Osweiler later. Like baylinorcrush said is all water under the bridge.
That may be true Brian. However who knows if Wolfe woudve been there at 57. Multiple other teams were interested in him. Same with Brock. It was reported that couple teams tried jumping Denver to take him. Its all in what ifs and hindsight.
I think we can all agree that we need to draft a big RB. Of course, we have a lot of work to do before the draft, but I’m such a draft junkie, I’m already starting to take a peek at projections!
For the first time in YEARS, I feel like we have a plan, and it includes BUILDING THROUGH THE DRAFT!!
I think I get it, the organization always does the right thing, or at least better than us fan commoners would, even heard that from many during the McD days, LMAO.
Take a look at this years QB class, and tell me the Osweiler pick wasn’t a good idea. Brock would be a 1st round pick this April if he went back for his senior season IMO.
Lol OT i was looking at mocks for this years draft BEFORE this past years draft lol still look at mocks when the chance arises. Trying to get as much as on the incoming dreftees while I still have time.
A lot of talented RBs coming out this year. Love seeing us building through the draft and getting good draft picks for a change.
Besides this year we’ll be drafting, basically, in the 2nd round anyway….#32.
We’ve had two strong drafts under Elway and we’re looking at being good for a while by building this way. Not only has Elway helped draft well, but he brought in a perfectly matched coach and Defensive Coordinator. Let’s get 2 SB wins for Manning. You KNOW he’s HAD it with Eli loaning his extra SB Ring to Archie for special events. Eli isn’t even close to his brother in QB ability.
OT I agree with that about Brock!
Couple weeks ago I saw an interview with Ron Rivera and he was asked about taking Cam and if anything wouldve changed their minds mainly Luck coming out. He said no Cam was their guy all the way through. Just think if Luck did. We would probably be Miller-less but Lucky and the Colts have RG3 the Redskins Tannehill Dolphins Weeden. Man what a difference things would be all on the decision of one person lol
Oh and since were kinda on it. I hope the back we take is Knile Davis. Ive watched a lot of him and really like what ive seen.
If we didnt have Hillman I would be wanting Kenjon Barner too.