Posts Tagged ‘Week 17’

Broncos at Chargers: Fourth Quarter Notes

December 28th, 2008 - 9:41pm by Gray CaldwellOther posts by Gray Caldwell

15:00: The Broncos have a first-and-10 at the San Diego 49-yard line when play resumes.

Jay Cutler is in the shotgun with Tatum Bell to his right. He tries to find Eddie Royal downfield after avoiding pressure, but he skips it just short of the rookie. That brings up second-and-10. The offense breaks its huddle and jogs up to the line — there are four receivers out wide. Cutler drops back and avoids pressure from all angles — very impressive pocket presence — and finds Darrell Jackson for a 13-yard gain near the left sideline for a first down.

On the ensuring play, Cutler gets it to Brandon Marshall, who falls backwards for what looks like another first down.

13:42: In fact it’s second-and-1 for the Broncos after Marshall’s nine-yard gain. Cutler takes the snap in the shotgun and pitches it quickly to Tatum Bell, who runs forward for four yards and the first down.

On first down, Cutler avoids pressure once again, rolls out to his right and throws a bullet toward Tony Scheffler in the end zone, who was locked up with a defensive back. At the last second he leaps high in the air to haul in the touchdown pass.

The Broncos are going for two. Cutler is in the shotgun and takes off toward the end zone. He gets in on his own with a run up the middle. It looked like the same formation from the first time Denver ran a two-point conversion against the Chargers 15 weeks ago.

Now the Broncos trail the Chargers 38-21.

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Broncos at Chargers: Third Quarter Notes

December 28th, 2008 - 9:02pm by Gray CaldwellOther posts by Gray Caldwell

15:00: The Broncos get the ball to start the second half, and Chad Jackson is back deep to receive. He fields it at about the five-yard line and makes it out to the 27-yard line, where the offense lines up for its first drive of the second half.

First-and-10 and Jay Culter is in the shotgun. He looks downfield before finding his checkdown, Tatum Bell, for a quick pass over the middle and a first down.

The team walks right back up to the line and Cutler gets it out quickly to Eddie Royal for a three-yard pickup on first down.

13:50: Cutler is in the shotgun again, takes the snap and drops back before stepping forward in the pocket and firing a pass to Tony Scheffler, who grabs a first down in Chargers territory.

Cutler takes another snap in the shotgun and finds Eddie Royal, who picks up six yards.

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Broncos at Chargers: Second Quarter Notes

December 28th, 2008 - 8:05pm by Gray CaldwellOther posts by Gray Caldwell

15:00: On first down, LaDainian Tomlinson takes a carry up the middle for 12 yards, setting up another first down at the Denver 26-yard line.

He takes a carry again on second down, but is brought down by John Engelberger after a gain of only two.

13:45: Second-and-8 for the Chargers. Philip Rivers looks to be calling an audible at the line and tries to call a timeout before the play clock winds down — but there’s a flag on the play. The flag is picked up, however, no delay of game. They grant the Chargers their first timeout of the half.

13:39: Rivers overthrows his target in the end zone, setting up a third-and-8 for San Diego. Rivers is in the shotgun, takes the snap and finds Antonio Gates — but he’s short of the first-down marker.

Fourth-and-a short 1 for the Chargers. The offense stays on the field. It’s another quarterback sneak and Rivers barely picks up the first. Not much of a push for the Chargers offensive line.

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Broncos at Chargers: First Quarter Notes

December 28th, 2008 - 7:23pm by Gray CaldwellOther posts by Gray Caldwell

15:00: Darren Sproles is back to receive for the Chargers, and the Broncos special teams unit is gathered at the 20-yard line. Matt Prater has the football from the referee, and he sets it on the tee. It’s game time.

Prater’s kick sails to the four-yard line and Sproles heads toward the sideline — he makes it up to the 30-yard line.

The starting defense comes out onto the field — it’s Ebenezer Ekuban, Marcus Thomas, Dewayne Robertson and Elvis Dumervil on the line, D.J. Williams, Nate Webster and Jamie Winborn at linebacker and Champ Bailey, Dre’ Bly, Vernon Fox and Josh Barrett in the secondary.

14:25: On the first play of the game, the Chargers employ some trickery. Philip Rivers fakes a handoff to LaDainian Tomlinson and then pitches it to Vincent Jackson on an end-around. The receiver picks up 17 yards.

On the following first down, Tomlinson finds a hole for another first down, but there’s a flag on the play — holding on San Diego.

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Broncos at Chargers: Pregame Notes

December 28th, 2008 - 4:16pm by Gray CaldwellOther posts by Gray Caldwell

2:05 p.m. PT: So we’re here in the press box at Qualcomm Stadium — it’s open to the field. I guess the Chargers assume the San Diego weather is always pleasant enough for no windows — today that’s proving true. It’s really comfortable out there and I’m personally pretty excited to hear the crowd noise in this do-or-die game.

Quick fact update for all of you, given to me by Vice President of Public Relations Jim Saccomano — many of you probably read his blog. The last time the Broncos were underdogs by this much on the road, they won. Do you remember where that game was played? Right here in this stadium — Super Bowl XXXII. So maybe the team can cook up a little Mile High Magic here in San Diego once more.

Darrell Hackney is out on the field throwing passes at midfield, Brett Kern is punting and Greg Eslinger is jogging laps around the sidelines. The Chargers cheerleaders are practicing on the sidelines and it’s already feeling like a playoff atmosphere. Just walking through the tunnels in the bowels of the stadium, there was a distinct feeling that it’s go time.

The superstitions are still going here in the Internet/publications department, so I’m blogging since the last road game I blogged was a division win — the season-opener at Oakland. We’ve still got a little while until kickoff, so I’ll be back with some updates in a little while.

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The Final Touches

December 26th, 2008 - 3:30pm by Adam ZinserOther posts by Adam Zinser

The day after Christmas started cold and rainy, but it cleared up and warmed up for the Broncos to practice and put the final touches on their preparation for the trip to San Diego.

A NEW TOP RIVALRY?

With the intensity heating up between the Broncos and Chargers, it’s fair to ask if this rivalry has become the biggest one for the Broncos, jumping ahead of the long-lasting rivalry with the Raiders.

Head Coach Mike Shanahan was asked that question after Friday’s practice.

“I think so,” Shanahan said. “I think any time a team is playing well and they’ve won the division a couple years, I think there’s always that anticipation about playing a good team, especially at their place for all the marbles. Obviously a lot goes into it.”

Jamie Winborn weighed in on that as well, saying that all the heat has definitely been turned up on Broncos-Chargers games.

But no matter how intense the rivalry may be, it all comes down to how they play on the field, and when they take the field Sunday, the end result will send the winner to the playoffs.

“They were a good team when we beat them the first time, they’ll be a good team this time also. They’re the same team, man, we’re the same team – it’s all about who plays the best on that day. We just know we’ve got a job ahead of us,” Winborn said. “But we’ve been focused this week and we’re ready to play.”

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Broncos-Chargers Flexed

December 21st, 2008 - 7:35pm by Gray CaldwellOther posts by Gray Caldwell

After Sunday’s developments, the Broncos-Chargers matchup is essentially a playoff game.

Winner gets in, loser goes home.

With that in mind, the matchup in San Diego has been flexed to Sunday Night Football. The game will begin at 5:15 Pacific, 6:15 MST.

-Gray Caldwell, DenverBroncos.com