By Dan Shouse
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
Prior to the start of the 2009 NFL season, most experts had the San Diego Chargers cruising to the division title in a relatively week AFC West. Many of the same experts thought that five weeks into the season, the Denver Broncos would be fighting to stay alive in the race for a spot in the post season.
Indeed that is the case in this weeks match up on Monday night, but the roles have been reversed. Instead it is the Broncos, the undefeated Broncos I might add, who appear to be ready to run away with the division, and the Chargers (2-2) who are fighting to keep their season alive.
Even more surprising than the fact that the Broncos are atop the AFC West, is how they are doing it. Rookie coach Josh McDaniels came to Denver with the reputation of being an offensive guru, but it has been the Broncos defense that has lead the way to a perfect start. No team has scored more than 17 points against the Denver defense this season. After struggling for most of the 2008 season, the Denver defense is now one of the the league's best.
The offense has been solid as well. Aside from Brandon Marshall, the offense does not really have a superstar, but that has not stopped this unit from contributing to the 5-0 start. Kyle Orton has surprised, throwing for over 1200 yards and 7TDs against only one pick so far this season. Plus the one pick Orton has thrown was to Randy Moss on a last second heave just before half time against the Patriots. Take that away, and Orton has not made a mistake yet this season.
A lot of credit mush also go to McDaniels. With the Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall soap operas during the off season, the first year coach appeared to be on the verge of losing his team before the season even started. Winning cures all however, and McDaniels has his players faith again, thanks to the perfect start.
Skeptics (including myself earlier this season) point to Denver's soft schedule as the key to their success, but last week's win against the Pats showed that the Broncos can compete all season. The schedule gets tougher from here, as after San Diego, the Broncos face off against Baltimore and Pittsburgh, two powers in the AFC. The Broncos will certainly now have more chances to prove that they are for real.
San Diego, on the other hand, has been a surprise for the wrong reason. Expected to be a contender in the AFC, the Chargers have struggled in the early part of the season, especially on defense. The Chargers have problems stopping the run, as opponents have averaged 151 yards on the ground against them . While Philip Rivers and Vincent Jackson have formed a potent combination, they have had little help from the running game behind LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles. Plus when you are always playing from behind, thanks to a suspect defense, it is that much tougher to get a running game going.
To make matters worse for the Chargers, upper management expressed their frustration through the media, saying that the Chargers slow start was unacceptable. Things may be starting to get desperate in San Diego.
After praising Denver, and ripping San Diego, the likely thought is that I would be picking the Broncos in a rout, but there is one image that bugs me about Denver. After last week game against the Patriots, McDaniels and company were celebrating like they had just won the Super Bowl. Are the Broncos poised for a let down after last weeks big win? Are they beginning to get a little overconfident? Are they maybe losing their focus a bit? Plus add in a San Diego team that is desperate for a win, angry after management ripped them publicly, and coming off a bye week, the Broncos now look primed to be upset.
Prediction: Chargers 23 Broncos 20
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