The Denver Broncos were expected to be a loaded team entering the 2013-2014 NFL season. Coming off a disappointing and somewhat unexpected loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens in last year's playoffs, quarterback Peyton Manning and his arsenal of offensive weaponry came into the current campaign with one goal in mind: bringing a championship back to the Mile-High City. Blitzing out to a dominant 6-0 start thanks to wins over notable teams in the Ravens, New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs, the Broncos looked more than capable of making a deep run and entering week 15, not much has changed.
Winners in five of their last six, the Broncos currently sit atop the AFC West division, one game clear of a Kansas City Chiefs team they've already defeated twice. At 11-2 overall, the Broncos offense appears ready for postseason dominance. Quarterback Peyton Manning is averaging over 340 yards through the air this season while connecting with a wide assortment of receivers 45 times for scores. Add in the fact that the Broncos rush defense is amongst the best units in the league and starting running back Knowshon Moreno is finally developing into a legitimate ball carrier and it's no surprise that Denver is in contention.
Despite the 11-2 record heading into a Thursday night showdown with the 6-7 San Diego Chargers, wide out Eric Decker notes that the job is not done even though his squad has already clinched a postseason berth. With a win over San Diego and a Kansas City loss this weekend to Oakland, Denver will claim the AFC West title while a win and loss by the Cincinnati Bengals will also help the Broncos clinch a first-round playoff bye, so there is still much to play for in Colorado.
"I guess you have some security but our job is not finished, winning this division is number one and winning this conference is number two," Decker said recently. "And we have to make sure that we get better as a team as a whole. We have a big goal and expectations for this year and that's just one week at a time and grinding away."
While Denver has already clinched a spot in the playoffs, the Chargers remain on the outside looking in. At 6-7 overall with three weeks left, head coach Mike McCoy and company know the margin for error is small. In the current AFC postseason standings, San Diego sits one game shy of the Baltimore Ravens for the final spot, with the Miami Dolphins (7-6) sitting just behind the Ravens by way of a tiebreaker. Hoping to ride the recent success of the defense while recovering from the mistakes made in a 28-20 loss to Denver last month, Mike McCoy has full belief that his team can win the upcoming battle on the road.
"Overall, in all three phases, guys were making plays," McCoy said after San Diego's 37-14 thumping of the Giants. "It was different guys. We might not have thrown for X number of yards, but it's the way we won the game. The last time we played (Denver), we made a number of mistakes that hurt us. There were a number of things that happened where we made some critical mistakes. We have learned from those mistakes, but that is every game. I think, without a doubt, the way we have played at times this year, the players know we can win."
Denver Broncos vs. San Diego Chargers: DATE, TIME & VIEWING INFO
DATE: Thursday, December 12
TIME: 8:25pm, ET
TV COVERAGE: NFL Network
LIVE STREAM: Available through NFL Game Pass
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