Rivers, Chargers, ease some pain by beating Broncos 21-13

I love this football team.

Five-time defending AFC West champion Denver (4-2) was mostly sluggish behind Trevor Siemian, who was back at quarterback after rookie Paxton Lynch struggled in a loss to Atlanta.

Cleveland quarterback Cody Kessler has recovered enough from an injury to his chest and ribs to start Sunday’s game at Tennessee, a relief to the Browns who already have started three quarterbacks and played five in five games this season.

Sure, NFL ratings have been down and Broncos vs. Chargers wasn’t exactly a thrilling Thursday night matchup (at least, early on).

For the second time in two games, a Denver Bronco was put in the back of an ambulance for a trip to the local hospital.

Finding solutions won’t be easy, especially on the offensive line. The running game disappointed with only 84 yards.

PASS DEFENSE: B-plus – After being gashed on the first two series by a series of short passes to Hunter Henry and Antonio Gates, the Broncos figured things out, dropping their cornerbacks slightly back to give them extra time to read the Chargers’ receivers as they fanned out off the snap.

And the defense appeared out of sync and a shell of its former self. The offense played better in the second half, becoming more aggressive in the passing game and more effective in the run game.

The Broncos welcomed the needed return of starting right tackle Donald Stephenson and tight end Virgil Green. Thursday’s game should not have been close, but stalled drives in the red zone and another lacklustre fourth quarter did little to build much confidence in Chargers coach Mike McCoy. He dropped one pass and fumbled the ball away at the San Diego 27 with 3:35 remaining. It got to the San Diego 45 with eight seconds to go before Siemian’s desperation pass was batted down by Dexter McCoil.

To summarize, the Broncos are 3-0 when the receive the opening kickoff, 1-2 when they kick. After finally getting the late-game lead monkey off their back, the Chargers may be able to pull it together heading into the rest of the season. It was a chance to reverse the lopsided stat sheet and scoreboard.

The Chargers dominated the Broncos in the first half in first downs (11-2) and yards (173-60). He had a sack and was a force in the run game as well. The Broncos’ bleeding continued. When you hold [Phillip Rivers] to 180 yards that’s a pretty good day but unfortunately, it all started at the start of the game. The offense trotted off the field, the players’ heads down in frustration and anger and disappointment.

Siemian was 30 of 50 for 230 yards, with a 5-yard scoring pass to Bennie Fowler midway through the fourth quarter.

INJURY UPDATES. Offensive tackle Russell Okung and wide receiver Cody Latimer suffered concussions in the Broncos’ loss at San Diego on Thursday and are in the National Football League concussion protocol program, DeCamillis said.

The Broncos’ forgettable loss won’t be forgotten soon.