Chargers at Broncos
The San Diego Chargers have enjoyed nothing but good news shortly after Philip Rivers referred to his club as the Bad News Bears. The upstart Chargers have reversed field following a three-game skid and will vie for their third straight victory and their first season sweep of the Denver Broncos since 2010 when the AFC West rivals reconvene at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Sunday.
"We flipped the script," Rivers said after throwing for a season-best 371 yards to help San Diego erase a 17-point deficit for the third straight season with a 33-30 overtime win over Atlanta last week. "It wasn’t quite the 17-point deficit that Kansas City had with 10 minutes to play, but it was a 17-point deficit nonetheless." Denver snapped a two-game skid with a 27-9 rout of Houston on Monday, but C.J. Anderson was left to receive a second opinion on a right knee injury that reportedly could sideline the starting running back for multiple weeks. Impressive rookie Devontae Booker is expected to see an uptick in snaps as a result on the heels of rushing for a season-best 83 yards and his first NFL touchdown versus the Texans.
TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Broncos -5. O/U: 43.5
ABOUT THE CHARGERS (3-4): Melvin Gordon (NFL-best 10 total touchdowns) found the end zone three times last week and recorded a season-best 27 carries for 94 yards in a 21-13 victory over Denver on Oct. 13. Hunter Henry enjoyed his best performance of his young NFL career in that contest with six catches for 83 yards and a touchdown, but the rookie tight end's availability is in question as he remains in the league's concussion protocol. Antonio Gates is more than capable of taking his place, as the veteran has four touchdowns in his last five contests versus Denver and ranks second among tight ends with 106 receiving scores.
ABOUT THE BRONCOS (5-2): Trevor Siemian posted a career-high 30 completions in the last encounter and has seven touchdowns and no interceptions in his last four games. Demaryius Thomas has eight touchdowns in his last nine meetings with San Diego, although the veteran wideout was limited to just 35 yards receiving on Oct. 13. On the defensive side of the ball, veteran linebacker Von Miller has an NFL second-best 7.5 of Denver's league-leading 22 sacks. The Broncos' stingy defense has yielded 16.7 points per game and ranks first in the AFC in total net yards allowed per contest (291.6).
EXTRA POINTS
1. San Diego rookie DE Joey Bosa has collected a team high-tying four sacks in three games and his 20 quarterback pressures are the second-most in the league over that time frame, according to Pro Football Focus.
2. Denver S T.J. Ward forced his team-leading third fumble last week against Atlanta.
3. The Chargers are looking to record their first road win versus a division rival since a 31-28 victory over Oakland on Oct. 12, 2014.