Los Angeles Chargers: 3 Takeaways vs Broncos in Week 1
By Derek Snyder
The Los Angeles Chargers lost a close one to the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football. Here are three takeaways from their 21-24 loss.
What an amazing start to the the Monday Night Football schedule, as the Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos played one heck of a football game to close out week one. We knew that this would surely be one of the best games of the entire weekend, but who knew that the Chargers would be in position to tie the game after being down 24-7 in the fourth quarter?
Even for the casual football fan, this AFC West showdown was easily the best game of Week 1. I was pretty darn surprised with how well the Broncos offense was moving the football against Los Angeles. Denver quarterback Trevor Siemian had a decent 2016 season, but he looked like a seasoned veteran with the way he handled the pressure on Monday night at home.
Related Story: 2018 NFL Mock Draft: Defense shakes up early picks
As I mentioned above, the Broncos were able to extend their lead to 17 points in the final seconds of the third quarter with a Brandon McManus field goal. Denver’s defense had only allowed seven points until that point, so it definitely seemed as though the game was in hand.
That said, two quick Broncos’ turnovers and two quick Philip Rivers’ touchdown passes cut Denver’s lead to only three points with well over four minutes remaining. However, the Broncos special teams unit blocked a field goal in the closing seconds to seal the deal for the home team and drop the Chargers to 0-1.
While it was a loss that definitely stings for Chargers fans, everyone needs to be encouraged with what they saw from this Los Angeles football team. Here are three takeaways from their “almost” comeback win over their AFC West rivals on Monday night.