Fresh off their bye week, the Los Angeles Chargers (4-7) will look to get back on track after losing their past two consecutive games in a matchup against the Denver Broncos (3-8).
Here are four key things to know prior to the Week 13 bout.
Decision on quarterback is up in the air
The last time the Chargers played the Broncos, veteran Joe Flacco was behind center. That won’t be the case this weekend as Flacco is currently nursing an injury, which has put him out for the past few weeks.
In place of Flacco has been Brandon Allen, who is 1-2 since taking over as Denver’s starter. But rookie Drew Lock, who has returned from the injured reserve, could make his professional regular season debut.
Lock has practiced the past three weeks, but the Broncos have continued to roll with Allen to ensure that the first-year player’s thumb is feeling 100%.
“We’re going to up Drew’s reps this week extensively in practice, see how he does with this, and then make a decision prior to the game. The earliest (the decision) would be made would be later in the week, right up until the game,” coach Vic Fangio said.
Not as bad as record suggests
The Broncos’ 3-8 record would suggest that they’re an absolutely horrid team. But the truth is, they’re not and they’ve hung with some of the best teams in the league this season.
Vic Fangio’s first year as head coach isn’t what he was anticipating, but his team has at least been competitive as the season has gone on. They suffered a close loss to the Colts, beat the Browns and bottled up the Vikings in the first-half in a loss to came down to the final minutes.
Gashed on the ground last weekend
Denver’s defense had allowed an average of just 68.0 rushing yards in their previous six games. But last Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, they allowed a whopping 244 yards.
“Yeah, it wasn’t very good today. They blocked us good, their backs ran hard and I’m sure some of our fits were off a little bit,” Fangio said of the Bills’ rushing attack.
Facing a passing defense that ranks No. 5 in the NFL, the Chargers may want to resort to a solid group game with running backs Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler to keep them off their feet as they’re still trying to get up from that poor performance in Week 12.
Get your popcorn ready
The Broncos’ top notch pass defense is led by cornerback Chris Harris. Harris Harris said he’ll be following wide receiver Keenan Allen on Sunday.
“I won the first battle, so I know that he’s going to definitely come out and try to win this next battle,” Harris said.
In their first matchup this season, Allen had four catches for 18 yards. There’s no denying that Harris did an excellent job in coverage, but there were still some missed opportunities where quarterback Philip Rivers didn’t see him open.
