2-0 or Bust

Not your typical headline for a Denver Broncos game preview. But, the title speaks to the very importance of this game for the Broncos.

The San Diego Chargers waltz into town with several banged up players. Shawn Merriman has wisely chosen his long-term health after realizing that his Chargers team may not be good enough to contend for the super bowl afterall. Or better yet, he finally listened to those around him including several future Hall of Fame football players, 4 world class Doctors, relentless TV Analysts, and countless fans. Also, expected to be out of the lineup on Sunday are Nick Hardwick and Marcus McNeil. That is 40% of a very good line missing.

I wonder if Elvis Dumerville has started licking his chops for this matchup just yet. If not, he should after reading this article. Oh and LT has a toe injury that is serious enough to have kept him out of the last two days of practice. He’s going to need all the rest he can get to handle this hungry Broncos defense. However, he’ll most likely play and probably have a decent game, i’m not expecting him to go wild though. For you fantasy buffs, I’m thinking maybe 90 yards and no touchdowns. But, if they get inside the 5 against us, all bets are off.

If you look at these Chargers, they will miss Merriman because of his explosiveness, however, he wasn’t very explosive in week 1, and ultimately would have only slowed down as the season wore on. But, Jyles Tucker will look to make a name for himself, so I wouldn’t get too pocket happy if I’m Jay Cutler and thankfully he will be prepared. Though, a few days ago, he replied “Who?” when asked about whether or not he was aware of Jyles Tucker. That will provide some bulletin board material for the Chargers, but it will doubtfully have much of an impact on the game.

The return of Brandon Marshall will likely spark this team, as if the game being the home opener weren’t enough. Uh oh Chargers, the Broncos have a lot more talent than so called “experts” had first thought. In fact, I think the Broncos are going to develop that “foot to the throat” mentality that we used to have during the late 1990’s and get huge leads and not look back.

SD Corner’s vs. Broncos Receivers: Brandon Marshall will likely be matched up against Antonio Cromartie. This should definitely be a matchup worth watching. But, Cromartie’s hip injury should be worth following as well and will likely be a game-time decision. If he does play, look for Brandon Marshall to use a couple double moves to test his hip. On the other side, Eddie Royal will be matched up with Quinten Jammer. That should be exciting. Ironically, Eddie Royal is very good at getting off of “jam” coverage.

So, while Denver matches up favorably in the passing game, and should handle the SD running game with a hobbled Tomlinson, the stage is set for the Chargers to have some mild success against the Broncos pass defense. And they should be able to contain our running game. I look for Philip Rivers to throw for 220 yards with 2 TD’s, 1 INT and for our running game to rush for 110 yards, just enough to keep the Charger defense honest against Jay Cutler.

Speaking of Jay Cutler, he is going to have another outstanding day. I look for him to throw for 286 yards and 3 TD passes, 0 INT’s and “Jay for MVP” chants to start. This will really fire up the home crowd and may even get him a game ball. And after the game, Jay will thank his offensive line for giving him such great protection and allowing the running game to keep the defense off his back too.

In summary, I think this is going to be a very tough battle for much of the game. However, the home fans sensing a special season, and the Chargers reeling from injuries make this a lot easier than first glance. The Broncos will be up 20-17 early in the 4th quarter until Jay Cutler hits Brandon Marshall for a bomb. This will loosen up the team and get them feeling good about themselves, tack on a field goal for good measure, and a late touchdown by the Chargers and the final score will be 30-24.

So, as the Chargers brace for life without Merriman, the Broncos brace for life with Brandon Marshall.

It should be a great season, so sit back and enjoy these words of wisdom from Ferris Bueller, “Life goes by pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Interpret as you wish.