Dean Spanos did not make any friends in San Diego this offseason, when he uprooted the Chargers from San Diego and moved them to Los Angeles. On the other hand, the Denver Broncos are deeply rooted in their city and have been a defensive juggernaut in recent years. With the help of Remarkable! we find some compelling stats for each team.
Los Angeles Chargers
Philip Rivers is the face of a Chargers offense that starts with a strong running game and capable receivers. Their strength could be at tight end this year, where Antonio Gates closes in on record after record and Hunter Henry looks to improve on his first season of work. Here’s more about the offense:
- Melvin Gordon broke 20 tackles last season (NFL Rank: tied for 7th most among RBs)
- Gordon gained 182 yards after catch in close and late situations last season (NFL Rank: most among RBs)
- Gordon averaged 19.5 carries per game (254 carries / 13 games) last season (NFL Rank: 3rd highest of 36 Qualified RBs)
- Chargers WRs averaged 14.4 Yards per Reception (2,642 yards/184 catches) last season (NFL Rank: 3rd best; League Avg: 12.8)
- Chargers TEs were targeted 39 times on plays in the red zone last season (NFL Rank: most)
- Hunter Henry averaged 13.3 Yards per Reception (478 yards/36 catches) on 53 targets last season (NFL Rank: 5th best of 35 Qualified TEs; League Avg: 11.0)
- Chargers WRs averaged 15.6 Yards per Reception (1,106 yards/71 catches) on 1st down last season (NFL Rank: 3rd best; League Avg: 13.0)
- Philip Rivers averaged 12.8 Yards per Completion (2,366 yards/185 completions) on the road last season (NFL Rank: 3rd best of 29 Qualified QBs; League Avg: 11.1)
- Rivers had a passer rating of just 63.3 in the 4th quarter (162 Pass Attempts) last season (NFL Rank: 3rd worst of 29 Qualified QBs; League Avg: 85.0)
- Rivers threw 21 interceptions last season (NFL Rank: most among QBs)
Rivers was a little careless with the ball last season, throwing more interceptions than any other quarterback. Hunter Henry and Antonio Gates are matchup problems for opposing defenses. Keenan Allen hopes to come back strong from injury and help Tyrell Williams carry the receiver load. Melvin Gordon received plenty of touches last season and he will likely see more as the elusive back starts his third season.
The Los Angeles defense struggled last season in many aspects of the game. Joey Bosa did not play a full season, but he will be a leader for a defense that gave up plenty of points. Here’s more from Remarkable!
- Chargers LBs missed 53 tackles last season (NFL Rank: most)
- The Chargers intercepted 15 of 469 attempts (31.3 pass attempts per int.) on plays where they did not pressure the QB last season (NFL Rank: best; League Avg: 49.7)
- The Chargers defense tackled opponents for a loss on 72 of 397 rushing attempts (18.1% TFL%) last season. (NFL Rank: 3rd best; League Avg: 13.0%)
- The Chargers allowed 20 rushing TDs on just 397 carries (19.9 Carries Per TD) last season (NFL Rank: worst; League Avg: 29.2)
- The Chargers defense allowed 23.9 points per game to opposing offenses (382 points / 16 games) last season (NFL Rank: 4th worst; League Avg: 21.5)
- The Chargers defense allowed a passer rating of just 88.7 on plays where they did not pressure the QB (469 Pass Attempts) last season (NFL Rank: 4th best; League Avg: 96.9)
The Chargers secondary are ball hawks, but it’s tough to rely on that year in and year out. The front seven were very good at breaking the offensive line on running plays and getting to the running back. C.J Anderson will be that running back they need to stop tonight.
Denver Broncos
Trevor Siemian will lead the Denver offense, which has two incredible weapons at wide receiver and a strong running back in the backfield. The offense lags behind the defense, but let’s take a look at the positives from the mile high city:
- Demaryius Thomas had 15 receptions on plays in the red zone last season (NFL Rank: tied for 2nd most among WRs)
- Broncos WRs averaged 15.7 Yards per Reception (723 yards/46 catches) in close and late situations last season (NFL Rank: 5th best; League Avg: 13.3)
- Trevor Siemian had a passer rating of 115.9 in close and late situations (92 Pass Attempts) last season (NFL Rank: 3rd best of 35 Qualified QBs; League Avg: 88.0)
- Siemian had a passer rating of 105.1 with over 10 yards to go (69 Pass Attempts) last season (NFL Rank: 5th best of 35 Qualified QBs; League Avg: 83.2)
- Siemian averaged 15.5 Yards per Completion (994 yards/64 completions) against the blitz last season (NFL Rank: 2nd best of 29 Qualified QBs; League Avg: 12.8)
- Siemian threw for 9 touchdowns on just 76 completions (8.4 Completions Per TD) in the 4th quarter last season (NFL Rank: 3rd best of 29 Qualified QBs; League Avg: 13.6)
- C.J. Anderson rushed for 10 or more yards on 10 of his 56 carries (17.9%) on 1st down last season (NFL Rank: 3rd best of 43 Qualified RBs; League Avg: 10.1%)
The Denver offense struggled, but Siemian turned it on late in games to propel the team to a 9-7 record. The Broncos have their eyes set on the AFC West title and it starts tonight against the Chargers.
We cannot forget about the stellar Denver defense that almost single-handedly took down the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50. Let’s dig into why the defense is one of the best in the league:
- The Broncos defense allowed a passer rating of just 78.3 on plays where the Broncos did not pressure the QB (444 Pass Attempts) last season (NFL Rank: best; League Avg: 96.9)
- Allowed a passer rating of just 58.7 on 3rd down (172 Pass Attempts) last season (NFL Rank: best; League Avg: 86.1)
- Allowed just 17.4 points per game to opposing offenses (278 points / 16 games) last season (NFL Rank: 3rd best; League Avg: 21.5)
- Allowed a passer rating of just 34.4 on plays where they pressured the QB (108 Pass Attempts) last season (NFL Rank: 2nd best; League Avg: 57.4)
- Allowed 6.7 Yards from Scrimmage Per Touch (5,285 yards / 788 touches) last season (NFL Rank: tied for best; League Avg: 7.5)
- Allowed 19.1 Points per Game (305/16) last season (NFL Rank: 4th best; League Avg: 22.5)
- Allowed a passer rating of just 55.3 on 3rd and short (36 Pass Attempts) last season (NFL Rank: 3rd best; League Avg: 101.3)
- Tallied 14 interceptions compared to just 13 TD passes allowed (0.9 TD:INT) last season (NFL Rank: 2nd best; League Avg: 1.9)
The Broncos defense shut down opposing quarterbacks and only allowed 13 touchdown passes to 14 interceptions. If Rivers can steer clear from those interceptions, there’s hope that the Chargers can take down the Broncos in this week 1 AFC West matchup.
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