The Denver Broncos won a hard-fought game on Sunday, beating the San Diego Chargers 27-19 to push their record to 6-2.
The first thing you’re going to hear from fans and media alike is that it was an “ugly” win. And that’s entirely true. The Broncos won the game despite turning the ball over three times, committing six penalties and converting just five of 15 third downs.
Facing a San Diego defense that allows 90 rushing yards per game, Denver managed a meager 57 yards on the ground. And even though the Chargers are ranked 23rd in the NFL in rushing yards, with 89.9 per game, the Broncos allowed 123 yards on Sunday, with Melvin Gordon compiling 111 yards on 23 carries.
One of the ugliest moments in the game may have come in the second quarter, when after a Bradley Roby interception return for a Denver touchdown, Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips had to be carted off the field.
The 69-year-old assistant coach had been hit inadvertently by Gordon after the runner was pushed out of bounds, and Phillips took a nasty fall.
He was taken by ambulance to the hospital, and early tests sound as though he should be fine.
But it was that kind of day for Denver.
For every two steps that they took forward, they seemed to consistently take at least one step back. While hanging on to a precarious 10-7 lead at halftime, the Broncos intercepted Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers on back-to-back possessions.
First, Darian Stewart picked off Rivers and returned it to the San Diego 10. Rookie running back Devontae Booker would score just two plays later, and the Broncos extended their lead to 17-7.
Next it would be T.J. Ward grabbing an off-target pass from Rivers, and the Broncos took over at the San Diego 7-yard line.
It looked like Booker would put Denver up 24-7, but an ill-timed fumble allowed the Chargers to stay in the game.
Yet, for all of the miscues and mistakes, the Broncos found a way to knock off a very dangerous Chargers team and earn an important home divisional win.
It might look like ugly football to many, but it is business as usual for these Denver Broncos.
Their dominant defense sacked Rivers four times, hit him 13 times and forced three turnovers of their own. They held the high-powered Chargers offense to just 19 points, 10 points below their average. And they did this on a day when starting cornerback Aqib Talib and starting linebacker Brandon Marshall were standing on the sideline with injuries.
The Denver offense was average for most of the day, yet every time the Chargers pulled within striking defense, it seemed like they found a way to put together a scoring drive.
Following the Booker fumble, the Chargers offense went 98 yards on a 13-play drive that resulted in a Rivers touchdown pass to Travis Benjamin to make the score 17-13.
But with the momentum all shifting to the Chargers, the Denver offense somehow pieced together a drive of their own. They went 75 yards on 13 plays, and backup running back Juwan Thompson plunged in-to the end zone to give Denver a 24-13 lead.
And following a Trevor Siemian interception for a touchdown that tightened the game up late, the offense once again answered with a much-needed field goal.
The Denver Broncos won an ugly game on Sunday, and that isn’t a bad thing.
They won ugly games all the way to a Super Bowl last year.