Recap: Denver defense leads Broncos to 17-3 win over Chargers

On their first drive of the day, Brock Osweiler led his offense on a touchdown drive, tossing a scoring pass over the top of the San Diego Chargers linebacker to connect with Demaryius Thomas for the 7-0 lead. Then, Denver increased their lead to 14-0 on Danny Trevathan‘s pick-six off Phillip Rivers.

Midway through the second quarter, Brandon McManus booted home a 23-yard field goal and then Josh Lambo kicked home a 51-yard field goal to bring the game to 17-3 at halftime. That 17-3 score was also the final, with Denver improving to 10-2 on the season. During that scoreless second half, Von Miller ripped a fumble out of the hands of Melvin Gordon‘s hands, Bradley Roby forced another fumble and Brock Osweiler was intercepted in the end zone when he was throwing to Emmanuel Sanders.

STARS OF THE GAME

David Bruton Jr. totaled 12 tackles to lead the game. He was all over the field Sunday afternoon and continues to improve as a player.

Ronnie Hillman ran well, with 19 attempts for 56 yards.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Von Miller’s forced fumble was sensational. With the Broncos ahead 17-3 and the Chargers getting the ball to start the second half, Gordon ran the pigskin on 2^nd and 5 from the Broncos 43. Gordon ran right and was met by Miller, who ripped the ball out of his hands and fell on it for the turnover.

TURNING POINT

Danny Trevathan’s pick-six was the turning point, ending the Chargers hopes of scoring on that particular drive while simultaneously putting the Broncos ahead by two scores.

BY THE NUMBERS

The Chargers went a mere 5-14 on third downs, a 35 percent conversion rate.

Rivers was sacked four times on the day for a loss of 53 yards. Von Miller had two of the sacks with Shaquil Barrett and Shane Ray getting one each.

Denver only had three penalties called on them for 18 yards while San Diego was called for eight penalties totaling 72 yards.

QUOTE OF THE GAME

When asked about all the Broncos fans in San Diego Sunday, Brock Osweiler said, “A testament that we really do have the best fans in the world.”

LASTING IMPACT

This win moves the Broncos to 10-2 on the season and into the No. 2 seed in the AFC due to the New England Patriots loss. Also, with the Kansas City Chiefs winning, Denver holds onto a three-game lead in the AFC West.

WHAT’S NEXT

Next up, the Denver Broncos host the 5-7 Oakland Raiders. That game kicks off at 2:05 p.m. MT Sunday, Dec. 13.