Denver Broncos: 3 Keys to Beating the LA Chargers

The offensive line has been decimated by injury.

With news early in the week that Max Garcia had torn his ACL and was out for the remainder of the season, the Denver Broncos offensive line took another hit.  One it could ill afford considering the loss of Matt Paradis against Houston, the up-and-down health of Jared Veldheer and Ronald Leary on IR, the Broncos can’t catch a break on the offensive line.

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Some bit of silver lining is that we will get to see what we have in the reserve/practice squad linemen and that should help John Elway with roster decisions in the offseason.  What Mr. Elway does with those decisions is up for some question but we’ll give him a chance, considering the success of the 2018 draft class.

So the Broncos are a mess up-front and the simplest solution is also the most effective.

Run the ball.

Royce Freeman had two full days of practice and looks ready to resume his starting role, Phillip Lindsay‘s rookie year is well-documented.  Denver has led the league in yards-per-carry and for the beleaguered line, running the ball is the most reasonable way forward.  It will keep Rivers and the Charger offense off of the field, give the Denver defense time to rest and prepare and should lead to actual points for the Broncos.  Bosa’s return elevates the need to secure the ground game, there’s no reason Case Keenum should be scrambling in the backfield to avoid him or fellow star Melvin Ingram who has notched a sack in each of his last three games.

Grinding out a low-scoring contest is one of a few, limited paths to a Broncos win. It won’t matter if they can’t hold on to the ball, though: