Denver Broncos Take Stranglehold On AFC West, Beat Chargers 35-21


Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos are at it again.

ESPN is reporting that Manning threw for 286 yards and three touchdowns, all to wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, as the Broncos thumped the San Diego Chargers 35-21 at Sports Authority Stadium in Denver, Colorado.

Manning completed 25 passes out of 35 attempts, while Sanders ended the night with nine catches for 120 yards, Ronnie Hillman added 120 yards on 9 carries, and rookie fullback Juwan Thompson scored twice for the Broncos.

While the Broncos looked to be firing on all cylinders, the Chargers kept shooting themselves in the foot. Quarterback Philip Rivers finished the night with 30 completions out of 41 attempts for 241 yards. He did throw three touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions and was sacked twice. The Chargers’ running game, the stalwart of the offense the last three weeks, never materialized, gaining only 61 yards on 15 attempts.

Not only did the Broncos record the two sacks and two interceptions, Rivers constantly had Bronco hands and faces in his way all night, never able to gain any kind of footing for the game. The Chargers defense were missing their starting cornerbacks, rookie Jason Verrett and Brandon Flowers due to injuries, and Manning was rarely, if ever, pressured or even hurried.

U-T San Diego is reporting that San Diego did have its chances; Chargers Safety Eric Weddle had an interception and a fumble overturned during the night. Countless times the Chargers would stop the Broncos, only to commit a penalty that would extend a Broncos drive. The Broncos opened up a 28-7 third quarter lead that was just too much for the Chargers to overcome.

“They outplayed us,” quarterback Philip Rivers said. “I just think they’re better than us right now…. We didn’t have any of those plays. They didn’t go our way. There’s really no excuses. They beat us.”

The Broncos are the better team right now, an unquestionable statement through the season’s halfway point. They sit alone atop the AFC West. They’re 6-1 The Chargers are 5-3, having now suffered two division losses now, to the Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs.

But this was very close to being an entirely different game.

“I think the tough thing about this game is I feel like we got beat soundly, badly,” outside linebacker Jarret Johnson said. “But just like all games, there’s a few key plays in there that swing. When you don’t make those plays against a quarterback and team like that, the score is going to end up like it did.”

Both teams are off until November 2. Denver travels to New England to participate in the annual Peyton Manning/Tom Brady bowl. The Chargers travel to Miami to play a tough, stubborn Dolphins team.

[Image courtesy of Greenwich Time]

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