The Los Angeles Chargers certainly have a flair for the dramatic, and for raising their fans' blood pressure. In Week 5, the Chargers narrowly escaped with a 30-28 win over the Cleveland Browns after some questionable coaching decisions nearly cost them the game. Little did Chargers fans know, the team's next game would be even more of a nail-biter.
LA returned home on Monday night for the first time since Week 3 to take on the AFC West rival Denver Broncos, who somehow keep getting prime-time games. The Broncos jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, but the Chargers slowly came back. Neither team could pull away, but LA ultimately won 19-16 in overtime.
It may not have been pretty, but LA will take a divisional win however it can get it. At 4-2, the Chargers sit in a tie with the Kansas City Chiefs for the AFC West lead, and it's hard to ask for anything more. With that said, let's dive into some key takeaways from the Chargers' win over the Broncos on Monday Night Football.
3. The Chargers need Keenan Allen back
Allen has been a star in the NFL for years, and this season looked to be more of the same. He had four catches for 66 yards in Week 1 against the Las Vegas Raiders, but that wasn't the big story of the game. The fact that he left the game with a hamstring injury was the main story from the season opener.
Allen has been questionable to return for weeks, but he hasn't seen the field since the opener. The Chargers have dearly missed their star wideout, and Monday's game showed why.
Joshua Palmer was LA's leading receiver against the Broncos with just 57 yards. Donald Parham and Austin Ekeler had 53 and 47 yards, respectively, but no other receivers had over 30 yards. Mike Williams, who should be the top receiver in Allen's absence, had just two catches for 17 yards on Monday night.
Justin Herbert himself also had a subpar game by his standards. The star quarterback threw the ball a whopping 57 times, but he had just 238 yards and didn't throw a touchdown for just the second time in his career. He also had an interception as just a cherry on top of a poor outing.
The Chargers' offense just doesn't look fully in sync without its best receiver. If LA wants to live up to its Super Bowl aspirations, Allen needs to come back soon and continue to be elite.
2. The run game needs to be better
Speaking of out of sync, LA's run game was just that on Monday night. The Chargers couldn't get any ground game going against the Broncos, averaging a paltry three yards per carry.
LA has a star running back in Austin Ekeler and another solid one in Sony Michel, yet neither could establish themselves. Ekeler had 36 yards on 14 carries, while Michel had 28 yards on eight carries. Granted, Ekeler scored the Chargers' lone touchdown of the game, but that doesn't excuse his lack of yardage.
The Chargers aren't a big running team, sitting at 25th in the league with 94.8 yards per game. LA doesn't need an outstanding running game if the passing game is clicking, but it still needs something on the ground. Considering the Chargers had 238 yards rushing in the previous game, this lack of production is a big disappointment.
1. Derwin James is HIM
LA's star-studded defense struggled early on in this game as the Broncos started off strong. Brandon Staley even benched star cornerback J.C. Jackson after a poor first half, and the Chargers needed someone to step up on defense. Fortunately for them, one of their stars did just that.
James was all over the field on Monday night and made several key stops. The fifth-year safety led the team with 10 total tackles, six of them solo. His biggest highlight came in the third quarter, when he sacked Russell Wilson on a third-down blitz to end a promising Denver drive.
DERWIN HIMOTHY JAMES @DerwinJames | @ESPNNFL pic.twitter.com/XVSp8G1nVM
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) October 18, 2022
James, a former All-Pro, signed a massive extension this offseason that will keep him in LA through 2026. With a team-high 55 tackles this season, it's safe to say he has earned that big payday so far.
With James, Jackson, Nick Bosa and Khalil Mack, the Chargers' defense is arguably the most talented in the entire league. However, that hasn't come to fruition this season, as LA sits near the middle of the pack in most key defensive stats. The Chargers have great potential if their stars are playing at their best, and James showed why with a stellar performance on Monday.
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