This season, only one NFL team boasts a better scoring defense than the Denver Broncos, and they’ll be visiting this weekend.
“They’ve been particularly effective at limiting red zone visits, which is a positive sign,” Broncos head coach Sean Payton stated on Friday.
The Los Angeles Chargers have permitted just two touchdowns in the red zone, prompting the Broncos to analyze film from the Chargers’ preseason games.
“That’s quite remarkable,” Payton remarked.
The Chargers have given up an average of 12.5 points per game this season, the best in the league. The Broncos are tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for second place, allowing 14.6 points per game.
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix attributes the Chargers’ success to their strong fundamentals.
“They do a great job of keeping everything in front of them,” he explained. “They don’t give up big plays and have managed to limit scoring. Their tackling is solid, and they rarely make mistakes, like blowing coverages or being out of position. They perform well defensively.”
The Chargers are dealing with injuries, as sixteen players missed part of practice this week. Several players’ availability for Sunday remains uncertain, including four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Joey Bosa.
“He does it all,” said Broncos rusher Nik Bonitto to DNVR.
At 25, Bonitto has closely observed Bosa and Khalil Mack, Bosa’s eight-time Pro Bowl teammate, in order to learn from some of the league’s top talents.
“Khalil is definitely one of the best power rushers in the game,” Bonitto noted.
Although the Chargers’ rushers are much larger than Bonitto, he believes there’s still a lot he can learn from them.
“They excel in the little things, especially their get-off,” Bonitto noted. “Joey is really skilled with his hands, so I pay attention to how he uses those techniques and think about how I can incorporate them into my game.”
Bonitto admires their longevity but isn’t surprised by it.
“When you’re as technically proficient as Joey, you can stay in this league for a long time,” Bonitto explained. “And Khalil is just a physical specimen; he has the strength to overpower anyone.”
With a backup tackle likely starting for the Broncos on Sunday, managing the rushers will be the top priority.
Nix believes that the team that does a better job of protecting the ball will come out on top in this matchup of strong defenses.
“This game will hinge on turnovers,” Nix said. “It’s all about who can win the turnover battle, protect the ball, and create takeaways. That will be crucial.
Every game in the NFL is different. Some are high-scoring. Some are low-scoring.
“We just have to know what’s important in this game, how to win this game,” Payton said.
Injury Report
The Broncos and Chargers have issued their final injury reports ahead of Sunday’s game.
Running back Audric Estime and cornerback Damarri Mathis both participated fully in practice again on Friday. They are eligible to return from injured reserve this week, but must be activated within the next 21 days or they will be out for the rest of the season.
If either player is activated, the Broncos will need to make room on the active roster. The simplest way to do this would be to place one of Alex Palczewski, Luke Wattenberg, or Josh Reynolds on injured reserve, which would sideline them for the next four games.
Palczewski and Wattenberg are both dealing with ankle injuries, the severity of which is still unclear, but both have been ruled out for Sunday. Reynolds recently had finger surgery and will also miss at least this game.
Tackle Mike McGlinchey and outside linebacker Baron Browning are eligible to return from injured reserve next week, potentially adding to the roster complications.
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