CHARGERS DRUB STRUGGLING BRONCOS

In the first six games of the NFL season, the Denver Broncos could do no wrong as they marched to an undefeated record to start the year.  Since then, they’ve been in freefall.  Their downward spiral continued on Sunday as they were smashed at home by the San Diego Chargers by a 32-3 final score.  The Chargers methodically controlled the game from start to finish, as evidenced by their lopsided advantage in time of possession (37:52 to 22:08).  San Diego has taken over the lead in the AFC West as their record improved to 7-3 with the victory.  The Broncos have now lost four straight and sit at 6-4 on the season.

The Chargers also got the money against the NFL pointspread, easily covering as -6 road favorites.  San Diego is now 5-5 ATS on the year and has covered four of their last five games.  The Broncos dropped to 6-4 against the number and have also lost four straight games to the money after covering their first six.  The 35 combined points went UNDER the posted total of 41’.  The Broncos have gone UNDER in 8 of 10 games this season while the Chargers have a NFL totals record of 5-4-1.

The Broncos beat the Chargers in San Diego earlier this season, but this is now a completely different team as quarterback Phillip Rivers affirmed:

"These last four weeks the guys up front have been unbelievable and Denver didn't blitz near as much this game. It kind of surprised us they didn't bring some of the stuff they did in that early game. And our guys handled good pass rushers. I was touched one time that I remember."

Things went from bad to worse for the Broncos in this game as wide receiver Brandon Marshall got into a shoving match with his own teammate, rookie running back Knowshon Moreno.  Here’s how he explained the situation, which stemmed from his displeasure at a Moreno fumble:

"I don't regret anything. This is a playoff game. There were guys on the sideline that weren't angry, who didn't have a lot of emotion, then they need to look themselves in the mirror. This is a game where you've got to have it. None of us can make any terrible plays.”

The Broncos won’t have much time to recover from this debacle, as they play again on Thanksgiving Day welcoming the New York Giants to town.  Denver is a +7 home underdog with the total set at 42.  They’ll play two road games after that, taking on the Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts.  The Chargers host the lowly Chiefs this weekend.  San Diego is a -13’ home favorite with the total set at 45.  That’ll be followed by two road games against the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys.