The rest of the AFC West: Week 1 takeaways
Denver Broncos Win Close Game Against Los Angeles Chargers 24-21
Trevor Siemian game manages his way to victory
Trevor Siemian had an efficient game against the Chargers on Sunday night. His stat line isn’t going to wow anybody, but he did enough to win. He finished the game 17/28 passing for 219 yards with 2 touchdowns and an interception. His Alex Smith-esque performance was not flashy, but he did enough to take care of the ball and keep the chains moving.
Siemian only tested the deep part of the field a few times, but was accurate. The remainder of the game he patiently found his receivers underneath. He showed mobility in the pocket to escape pressure and scrambled for a touchdown as well. He did throw an interception, but it came off of a series of unlucky bounces. All in all, it was a solid performance.
The Broncos don’t need Siemian to throw for 300 yards and 4 touchdowns a game. Their defense is still one of the league’s best. The Broncos held a talented Chargers offense to only 249 total yards and forced a turnover. All Siemian needs to do is take care of the football and distribute it to Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas. If he can do this, there is no reason that the Broncos can’t be a force in the AFC. That defense will take care of the rest.
This is the same formula the Broncos used to win a championship two seasons ago and the formula used by the Chiefs to rack up the fourth best record in the NFL since 2013.
Don’t forget about the Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers had a chance to win against the Broncos on Monday night. After being down 24-7 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Chargers scored 2 touchdowns to bring the game within 3 points. The last drive of the game, the Chargers got within field goal range to try to force the game into overtime only to have their attempted blocked.
The Chargers offense struggled against a vaunted Broncos defense, but still showed some flashes of what is to come. Travis Benjamin took the top off of the defense with a long 38 yard touchdown reception. Keenan Allen worked the underneath routes all night. Allen caught 5 passes for only 35 yards, but did beat Chris Harris Jr for a touchdown score. Tyrell Williams, who surprisingly had over 1,200 receiving yards last year, continued to be involved in the offense with 5 receptions for 54 yards. Melvin Gordon only averaged 3.0 yards per carry and continues to be inefficient running the football. However, he contributed to the passing attack hauling in a couple of nice grabs including a touchdown.
The Chargers defense forced 2 turnovers and was able to sack Siemian 4 times. The pass rush with Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram was on display, and the secondary had some moments as well. Casey Hayward, who led the NFL last season with 7 interceptions, was in position to pick off a Siemian pass but dropped the ball. Safety Adrian Phillips displayed great concentration in picking off a pass that took several bounces off of different players. The Chargers may not have won the game, but they showed some good things. If this team stays healthy, they will be in the AFC West race as well.