The Denver Broncos defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 19-3 in the final game of the regular season as both teams gear up for the playoffs starting next week.
Denver finished the season 14-3, securing the coveted No. 1 seed in the American Football Conference bracket. The Broncos get the first-round bye and will face the lowest remaining seed between the Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston Texans, Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night.
The Broncos offense didn’t have to do much but run the football a ton, logging 31 carries as a team and only 23 passing attempts in the blowout win. Denver’s defense was stellar yet again, holding Chargers quarterback Trey Lance to just 136 yards and an interception on 44 passing attempts.
It was exactly the kind of performance you’d like to see from a team that has been granted a first-round bye and there is plenty to be excited about heading into the postseason if you’re a Broncos fan, especially this championship-caliber defense.
“The Broncos' defense has shown it can make quarterbacks' lives miserable (a franchise-record 68 sacks), and it should rise even more in the postseason,” ESPN’s Jeff Legwold wrote Monday. “Denver can create pressure against almost any protection look and has a deep secondary, led by cornerback Pat Surtain II, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. The Broncos can line Surtain up against any No. 1 receiver in the league and have confidence that he can win the matchup.”
While the defense is as good as it gets and will be leaned upon heavily throughout the playoffs, the offense may be a bit concerning. The offense ranked 10th in yards per game and 14th in points per game, but the unit can be inconsistent.
“The Broncos have shown they can win grind-it-out games by chewing the clock with long drives,” added Legwold. “And quarterback Bo Nix has shown he's comfortable in late-game situations when the Broncos need a play. But Denver's offense looks disjointed too often. It has been better of late, but the Broncos still are near the league's worst in percentage of drives that end in three-and-outs. And the Broncos often lose the special teams battle and need to be bailed out by the defense.”
Despite some inconsistencies within the offense, both sides of the trenches in Denver are phenomenal. According to ESPN’s Seth Walder, the Broncos are top eight in pass block win rate, run block win rate, pass rush win rate and run stop win rate.
Games are won in the trenches, and the Broncos have an edge on both sides of the ball. Denver will host a Divisional Round game on Jan. 17.