The Chargers host the Broncos on Sunday in a game between the bottom two teams in the AFC West, with both squads entering the weekend with the panic meters nearing their upper limits.
Here's what Los Angeles needs to do to get its first win of the year.
Put linebackers into conflict
Denver's linebackers have long been the weakness of their unit in both phases on defense, but the Broncos have yet to address their personnel on the second level of the defense. Until they do, the easiest way to beat Denver will be to force Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad to do as much as possible. In the ground game, that likely means focusing more on combo blocks on defensive linemen and getting into space to let the Broncos linebackers make mistakes and open holes on their own. Through the air,
this may be an ideal game to get tight end Oronde Gadsden II more involved - his career debut resulted in 5 catches for 46 yards against the Broncos in Week 3 last season.
Exploit depth pieces in the secondary
Cornerbacks Pat Surtain II and Riley Moss will miss Sunday's game, leaving Denver with nickel Ja'Quan McMillian, 2025 first-rounder Jahdae Barron, and Kris Abrams-Draine as the only healthy corners. Denver also has undrafted rookie Brent Austin and return specialist Sean Fresch Jr. on the practice squad. That's a far cry from one of the top corner duos in the league and a former Defensive Player of the Year on the back end.
Make things easy on the offensive line
There's a realistic world where Los Angeles has to start four rookies - second-rounder Jake Slaughter, fourth-rounder Travis Burke, sixth-rounder Logan Taylor, and undrafted free agent Jacob Spomer - alongside Cole Strange, with sixth-rounder Alex Harkey, Branson Taylor and practice squad players as depth. Against a Denver defensive front that includes Nik Bonitto and Zach Allen, the Chargers will need to scheme around a unit that will be learning on the job for virtually the entire game.
Lean into your strengths
Over the past four weeks, the main problem with the Chargers' offense appears to be that they're not leaning into the things that made them successful. Justin Herbert has struggled on the predetermined anticipation throws offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel was known for in Miami and the run game has gotten predictable with Keaton Mitchell essentially only entering the game when LA plans to run outside the tackles. The second half against Seattle showed glimpses of what the Chargers offense can be if they find a groove: Herbert threw more straight dropback read concepts and Omarion Hampton found running room between the tackles on more gap-focused runs. If those are major parts of the offense this week and beyond, the Chargers might be able to turn a corner.
Take advantage of disarray
Denver is switching up their offensive structure this week, moving playcalling duties from offensive coordinator Davis Webb back to head coach Sean Payton after a four-week trial for Webb that resulted in the 23rd-ranked offense by EPA/play. It's unclear, however, how Payton and Webb have split game-planning duties this week and who will be the voice in quarterback Bo Nix's ear on Sunday. Los Angeles has an opportunity to capitalize on that uncertainty and keep the Broncos' offensive struggles in the news beyond Sunday afternoon.
Shut down the run game
Nix has the sixth-lowest depth of target on his passes this season, ahead of only Cooper Rush, Daniel Jones, Jalon Daniels, Deshaun Watson, and Tyson Bagent. Denver's run game has also not been able to get much momentum going - they have the fourth-lowest rushing yards per game this season - so if the Chargers are able to control the line of scrimmage and keep Denver behind the sticks, they should be able to get the Broncos off the field at a decent clip and give the Chargers offense more opportunities to succeed.
Make Bo Nix feel pressured
Nix has the third-lowest pressure to sack ratio of any quarterback this season, behind only Brock Purdy and Jayden Daniels, but has thrown the ball faster than either of those passers on average this season. Denver has frequently checked the ball down, sometimes before allowing downfield routes to develop, seemingly because Nix is feeling pressure - his 58 pressured dropbacks are tied for 11th-most in the league this season. Chargers edge rushers Tuli Tuipulotu and Khalil Mack have 14 pressures apiece this season, so if they can constrict the pocket and make Nix feel distressed, they may not even need to finish plays for their presence to result in positive outcomes for Los Angeles.
Hide cornerback depth
Derwin James and Donte Jackson are out for this game. If Denver gets more aggressive with Payton calling plays, LA will need to find ways to direct attention away from their corners and let safeties Elijah Molden, Tony Jefferson, Genesis Smith, and RJ Mickens carry the secondary instead.
This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: Chargers' keys to victory against the Broncos
