Last Updated on December 29, 2010 10:19 pm by Anthony Rome
Chargers vs. Broncos Preview
Denver, CO (AP) – It’s likely the Denver Broncos will have a new coach next season. It remains to be seen if the San Diego Chargers will.
These AFC West teams have been big disappointments, though Norv Turner’s Chargers clearly are the bigger one going into their season finale against Tim Tebow and the Broncos on Sunday.
According to latest NFL odds, oddsmakers from online sports book SBGGLOBAL.com have made the Chargers 3.5-point spread favorites for Sunday’s game against the Broncos. Current NFL Public Betting Information shows that 65% of more than 2,493 bets for this game have been placed on the Chargers –3.5.
San Diego (8-7) overcame slow starts to win division titles in each of Turner’s previous three seasons as coach. It appeared the Chargers might do the same this year, opening 2-5 before reeling off four straight wins and six in seven games.
However, surprising Kansas City never gave up first place and clinched the West crown last Sunday when the Chargers were stunned 34-20 by Cincinnati, which entered with the AFC’s worst record.
The loss kept San Diego out of the playoffs for the first time since 2005.
“I think we know the things that kept us from winning and we fixed a lot of those things in the second half,” Turner said. “But when you start 2-5 you can put yourself in a position where it’s awfully hard to overcome it.”
The Chargers, though, had grown accustomed to doing so. They followed last year’s 2-3 start by winning 11 straight, opened 4-8 in 2008 but won their final four and started 1-3 in 2007 before finishing 11-5.
A loss Sunday would mark a second 8-8 record in three years for a San Diego team widely considered to have the talent to be much better, and that could cause the Chargers to make changes at the top. However, team president Dean Spanos reportedly said this week he plans to bring back Turner and general manager A.J. Smith.
Denver (4-11) already made a coaching change, firing Josh McDaniels in early December and replacing him temporarily with running backs coach Eric Studesville. The Broncos are 6-17 since McDaniels won his first six games last season, and they need a victory Sunday to avoid posting the most losses in franchise history.
It does not appear Studesville will keep the job next year – the Broncos are 1-2 since promoting him – but at least they may have found their quarterback of the future.
Tebow will get a third straight start Sunday, even though former starter Kyle Orton is healthy enough to play after being bothered by sore ribs. Orton probably could have played last week, but Tebow got the start and helped Denver end a five-game losing streak with a 24-23 victory over Houston.
“There definitely was progress,” Studesville said. “He got much better. He made plays and he scrambled and did some things. He threw the ball well, got the ball down the field, and he continues to keep developing. And that’s what it is: the more he plays, the better he’ll get.”
The first-round pick was 16 of 29 for 308 yards with one touchdown and an interception, and he ran six yards for the winning TD with 3:02 to play. Tebow provides the Broncos with much more mobility than Orton, having run for 27 yards last week after gaining 78 in his first career start against Oakland.
“I love his will to win,” receiver Jabar Gaffney said. “As long as he has that, we’ve got a chance. Everything else we can work on.”
Gaffney had 90 yards receiving last week while Brandon Lloyd had 111 to raise his season total to 1,375, second most in franchise history behind Rod Smith’s 1,602 in 2000.
Lloyd was the Broncos’ lone Pro Bowl selection while the Chargers had three, including Antonio Gates. The tight end, though, will sit out for the sixth time in eight games due to a foot problem.
Philip Rivers also made the Pro Bowl and might be in the running for league MVP if it weren’t for his team’s disappointing record. He’s set a career high with 4,397 passing yards, his 66.7 completion percentage is the best of his career and he has 30 touchdown passes – four off his personal best from 2008.
“We have the right makeup. We have the right approach. It’s just a matter of getting it done,” Rivers said. “It’s disappointing. I’m dealing with knowing we’re not going to the postseason. It will be tough, but it’s reality.”
Want More From TheSpread.com? Follow us on Twitter and Facebook or Subscribe to Our News Feeds!