How the LA Chargers beat the Denver Broncos: Cut off the running game, make Drew Lock beat you
The Denver Broncos are a lot scarier of a team than I think most Charger fans are giving them credit for. I think Denver is a bonafide contending team heading into 2020 and they have as good of a shot as anyone to make the playoffs and win a playoff game or two.
They are giving me 2017 Rams vibes with an inexperienced quarterback who showed positive signs last season that is just now getting weapons around him while also having a solid defense.
That was the plan for the Broncos in the 2020 NFL Draft and that is what the team did. Drew Lock now has many more weapons than the year prior and the hope in Denver is that it will lead to the team taking that extra step.
There is no massive hole to really exploit for the LA Chargers. The secondary is concerning for Denver but with a good pass rush and one of the best home-field advantages in the league, it is not like the Chargers are going to pick Denver apart with an aerial onslaught.
They are also relatively good at stopping the run. So while there are certain gameplans that the Chargers are going to need on offense, the offense is not going to be what wins or loses this game.
The only way that the Chargers can beat the Broncos is if they limit the running game between Phillip Lindsay and Melvin Gordon and force Drew Lock into several long third-down attempts. Stopping the run on first down is going to be massive as the best bet against Denver is to force the inexperienced quarterback to throw against a ball-hawking secondary.
Without success on first down, the Broncos are going to open up the running game and thus open up the play-action game. This is going to make life easier for Drew Lock, build up his confidence, and force the Chargers’ offense to win a high-scoring battle.