BOLTS BESTED BY BRONCOS’ BACKUPS
Both teams wind up eliminated by end of meeting of also-rans
The Battle of the Backups went down to the wire, a test of will rather than skill, with one team, the Denver Broncos, managing to make the most of the least and taking a 16-9 victory over a more mistake-prone and ineffective team, the Chargers, on Sunday at Mile High Stadium.
Instead of Justin Herbert throwing passes to Chargers wide receivers Keenan Allen, Joshua Palmer and Mike Williams, Easton Stick got his third consecutive start in place of his injured teammate. Allen (heel), Palmer (concussion) and Williams (season-ending knee injury) also were sidelined.
Instead of Russell Wilson throwing passes to an array of Broncos wide receivers, Denver fans were treated to Jarrett Stidham’s first start of the season and his 15th career NFL appearance. Wilson was benched last week by coach Sean Payton, causing an uproar in Broncos Country.
As marquee matchups go, it was less than stellar.
Suffice it to say, the video won’t be making its way to the Hall of Fame.
But what would you expect from a late-season game between also-rans?
The Chargers were eliminated from the AFC playoff race with their loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 16. The Broncos’ postseason chances took a hit with consecutive losses to the New England Patriots and the Detroit Lions in the weeks leading to their rivalry game against the Chargers.
Despite defeating the Chargers, the Broncos were eliminated Sunday.
Wil Lutz kicked three field goals and Stidham threw one touchdown as the Broncos (8-8) ended a twogame losing streak and handed the Chargers (5-11) their fourth loss in a row. The Chargers managed only three field goals from Cameron Dicker and failed to score a TD for six straight quarters.
“As I told the players, it’s the little things,” said Chargers interim coach Giff Smith, who fell to 0-2 since replacing Brandon Staley on Dec. 15. “We’ve got to be better as coaches and as players we’ve got to do better on the little details throughout the week. (But) I thought there was a lot of fight from these guys.”
Highlights were few and far between for the Chargers, who trailed the Broncos by 13-3 by halftime and by 13-6 entering the fourth quarter.
Outside linebacker Khalil Mack topped 100 sacks for his 10-season, Hall of Fame-caliber career, dropping Stidham for a 9yard loss in the second quarter. He is one of only five active players in the NFL with 100 sacks or more. Additionally, it was his 16th sack of the season, a career high.
“It was dope, it was dope, but I was focused on trying to get the win, man,” Mack said. “Definitely a significant moment in my career, but it was bittersweet. I wanted to win that game, man. You have independent goals and aspirations, but I’m a team guy, so it’s bittersweet but something significant.”
Dicker kicked a 36-yard field goal to lift the Chargers into an all-too-brief 3-3 tie with the Broncos in the early minutes of the second quarter. Stick set up the field goal with a 27-yard completion to wide receiver Alex Erickson, giving the Chargers a first down at the Broncos’ 20yard line.
The drive fizzled, though. So did almost everything else the Chargers tried in the first half.
Denver broke the 3-3 tie on Stidham’s 54-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey. The play seemed innocent enough until Humphrey began to break tackles on his way to weaving to the end zone. Or, more to the point, the Chargers began to miss open-field tackles.
The Chargers later tried a fake punt that seemed designed to gain the yard they needed for a first down at their own 44-yard line. Nick Niemann accepted the direct snap from Josh Harris, but bobbled it and was quickly dropped for a 2-yard loss. Lutz then kicked a 43yard field goal for a 13-3 lead.
“Early in the game, we were trying to create another possession,” Smith said of the fake. “We haven’t been great on short yardage in the run game. Going into the game, it was something we spoke about as a staff. We thought the opportunity was there for the fake. It didn’t hit for us, so that’s on me.”
Stick got off to a halting start, unable to move the Chargers on their first two possessions. He started by misfiring on four of his first five passes. He finished the game by completing 24 of 38 passes for 220 yards. Stidham was only slightly better, thanks to his touchdown pass to Humphrey.
Stidham completed 20 of 32 passes for 224 yards and one touchdown.
Dicker’s 50-yard field goal cut the Chargers’ deficit to 13-6 in the third quarter.
It was as close as they would get.