CHARGERS (2-0) vs. BRONCOS (1-1)
When: 1:05 p.m. Sunday
Where: SoFi Stadium
TV/Radio: CBS (Ch. 2); 640 AM/94.3 FM (Spanish)
Line: Chargers by 3
Notable injury designations
Chargers: OUT: TE Will Dissly (knee), S Elijah Molden (hamstring). QUESTIONABLE: CB Cam Hart (hip), LB Daiyan Henley (illness).
Broncos: OUT: TE Evan Engram (back), LB Dre Greenlaw (quadriceps).
What’s at stake: The Chargers can sweep their three-game series against their AFC West rivals and also begin the season with a 3-0 record if they defeat the Broncos. History isn’t on their side, though. The Chargers haven’t started a season with a 3-0 record since going 4-0 to begin the 2002 season, which ended for them with an 8-8 mark. The division-leading Chargers also can put some distance between themselves and the Broncos (1-1) with a victory. They also can move farther ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders (1-1) and the Kansas City Chiefs (0-2).
Who’s better: Defeating the Chiefs in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and the Raiders in Las Vegas to start the season certainly elevated the Chargers’ status around the NFL, so let’s go out on a pretty sturdy limb and proclaim them to be the better team. The Chargers’ offense has been opportunistic, especially when passing the ball. Their defense has been stingy while slowing down two dynamic quarterbacks in the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and the Raiders’ Geno Smith.
Matchup to watch: Can the Chargers’ pass-first offense adjust for a more balanced attack against the Broncos? Their running game has been more like a jogging game so far this season. Then again, given how well quarterback Justin Herbert has connected with his wide receivers, the Chargers would have been unwise to go away from what was working so well for them. Herbert threw for three touchdowns against the Chiefs and two against the Raiders. But is there a productive ground game just waiting to be unleashed, and will we see it against the Broncos?
Chargers win if: Safety Derwin James Jr. wasn’t all that impressed by the Chargers’ victory last week over the Raiders. He was pleased to have won and to be 2-0, but he said the quiet part out loud. It means little if the Chargers come out with a clunker against the Broncos. Standards and expectations have been established and the Chargers must rise to meet them. Staying grounded and realizing how little the Chargers have accomplished so far and how much work remains to be done would serve them well against the Broncos.
Fantasy sleeper: Herbert has to throw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Ladd McConkey at some point, right? McConkey and Keenan Allen have been Herbert’s most trusted targets so far this season. Allen and Quentin Johnston have caught multiple touchdown passes, but McConkey hasn’t touched the end zone yet. In other words, McConkey is probably due to catch a TD pass or two.
Prediction: The oddsmakers favor the Chargers by a narrow margin probably because this doesn’t feel like a game that will be decided by more than a field goal. So, let’s stick with that feeling. Besides, it’s a rare day or night when a Chargers game isn’t decided by one score. Chargers 24, Broncos 21.