Another week, another of what have been a good amount of high-scoring, entertaining Thursday night games. Plus a lot of us got to see something we've never seen before in a football game, since it last happened in 1976. Fun stuff, let's get to it.
QUARTERBACKS
Gonna start with Bo Nix, like the game itself. He was very sharp early on, leading three first-half touchdown drives against a good defense -- though as we've pointed out once or twice in the Weekly, schedule has helped, and the Chargers maybe aren't as good as they've looked while holding out crummy NFC South teams. But Nix was on target and making great decisions early on, with a couple of rollout completions and heady plays that made me lament again not being a little higher on him back in the preseason. I knew he was starting and I liked the fit with Sean Payton, just figured it would be a bad all-around team and probably a conservative scheme.
Instead Nix has 25 total touchdowns, all in the last 12 games, and has averaged 237 passing yards since Week 5. The team can't run the ball; he's the offense. He did miss one opportunity for a long touchdown in the fourth quarter last night when Marvin Mims was 5 yards behind the defense; too much air under the throw, that one stands out. A costly missed opportunity. But Broncos fans have nothing to be disappointed out with the 6th (!) quarterback drafted. Surely all these guys -- Caleb, Jayden, Maye, McCarthy, Penix, Nix -- can't work out, right? I don't think it's too early to say the Broncos have their franchise guy.
Justin Herbert started out a little rougher, but he was dealing late. The touchdown throw to Derius Davis was a pretty remarkable thrown and scramble under pressure, as was the 2-point conversion. Even early, they were getting some open receivers and hitting on some plays. Threw a bad interception on first down near the red zone just before halftime, but that was a good defensive play and it was also totally overshadowed by the wild fair catch free kick play that happened just a minute later. Herbert even ran a little, with a critical 3rd and 10 conversion on the drive that basically ended the game, so that ankle is fine. Lots of factors in the outcome last night, but the major takeaway is that Herbert played really well and the Broncos' inability to get key stops (some due to penalties) on Herbert was a large part of it.
RUNNING BACKS
Only Sean Payton can answer why the Broncos didn't use Audric Estime more, and hasn't for the past month. He averaged 5.3 yards per attempt last night (9 for 48), with an impressive touchdown run on the opening drive. The Broncos, in fact, ran the ball well on the opening drive, and Payton has talked about getting that going (including entering halftime), but they just don't do it very much. The absence of Jaleel McLaughlin due to a quad injury perhaps factored into Estime getting more carries last night, but still not enough, plus Denver brought undrafted Blake Watson from the practice squad to give him 4 carries for 10 yards because...I don't know? Would hate to give Estime double-digit carries I guess. Denver even threw 3 passes and a touchdown to fullback Michael Burton, that was unexpected. Estime did catch 17 passes at Notre Dame last year, he has hands connected to those wrists.
A reader asked about Javonte Williams yesterday, if he was viable with McLaughlin out. He was in a Standard league, so I said no; PPR yes. And that's how things played out, with Estime getting the key carry near the goal line, and Williams starting out with a 15-yard run but going for just 9 yards after that. He caught 7 passes on 11 targets, that's why he's viable in PPR (particularly with no McLaughlin), but they went nowhere (4 yards per catch) and a missed connection before halftime where he fell down factored into the Chargers getting the field goal that changed momentum a little. Bottom line, Estime in Standard, Williams in PPR, and Denver probably won't be bringing him back next season.
Pretty sure no one started Gus Edwards (68 yards, 2 TDs) last night. I'm not going to feel bad about trashing the guy all season. Until a 43-yard breakaway late, with Denver out of sorts after allowing Herbert to convert a key third and 10 with his legs, Edwards was at 9 carries for 28 yards. I suppose we'll have to consider him next week, with the Patriots on the other side of the field. But not a good running back, just sometimes you get lucky with opportunities around the goal line. Every week I get questions from fantasy teams wanting to start Kimani Vidal. It's not happening, people. Even with J.K. Dobbins on IR they don't let him carry the ball and they don't throw to him. He's a sixth-round pick who the Chargers don't seem to think much of. Hassan Haskins, who caught a little dumpoff for the game-clinching 34-yard touchdown, had more yards last night than Vidal has in a game since Week 6. Unless both Edwards and Haskins get hurt between now and next weekend, I won't be recommending Vidal.
WIDE RECEIVERS
The guy to talk about is Marvin Mims, who has emerged as the No. 2 for Denver. He's had a nice month of production (run, rec, returns) and last night caught 3 for 62 that should have been 4 for 114 with a 52-yard touchdown, but Nix underthrew him. There are weeks he'll be forgotten, but considering he wasn't being used at all the first half of the season and was looking like a bust, he's been a nice player for them. Courtland Sutton had one big third-down reception on a touchdown drive I recall but kind of a quiet night at 5 for 50. The other wideouts Denver is putting on the field just aren't viable.
Chargers receivers fared pretty well; probably Ladd McConkey was the one being started, he caught all 6 passes thrown his way for 87 yards. Defense lost track of him a couple of times. Not as much out of Quentin Johnston or Joshua Palmer, but a couple of important grabs and a really impressive 2-point conversion catch by Palmer that he tipped to himself, you don't see that every day. The aforemtioned touchdown to Derius Davis. Really can't start anyone safely but McConkey, although Johnston has been a nice scorer, salvaged things this season after a poor rookie season. Selected before Zay Flowers and Jordan Addison doesn't look great, but let's not rip the guy too much.
TIGHT ENDS
Forgive me if I don't spend too much time with this one. Denver has three different guys averaging under 2 catches per game. The Chargers got Hayden Hurst off IR for this one and threw him a single pass. Stone Smartt has been good with Will Dissly out hurt the last two weeks, and caught 3 for 37 in the first half last night. He wasn't targeted after that. I think Smartt is still viable until Dissly returns, but it's kind of a low ceiling.
MISCELLANEOUS
The free kick before the half was enabled by several Denver miscues, an errant throw/dropped pass to stop the clock, requiring a punt, and then running (just) into the returner. You get a free kick after a fair catch, the reason it never happens is most fair catches happen in one's own half of the field too far to consider a field goal, and you don't usually try such things on first down, but the 15-yard penalty (and there not being any time on the clock) made it possible. Kind of wild, in this day and age with longer field goals happening I bet we get more of them in the next few years than we've seen in the last 48. But again, a lot has to happen for teams to even consider them. Anomalous.
In all likelihood, both the Chargers and Broncos are going to playoffs. Especially the Chargers, who need only beat the Patriots or Raiders to get in, or have the Dolphins and Colts lose a game. The Broncos will need to either win at Cincinnati or home versus Kansas City to clinch a spot, neither of which is certain. But both are winnable (KC might be resting players, and of course Denver should have won the earlier meeting), and even if they dropped both games they'd get in if the Bengals lost at Pittsburgh in Week 18, which certainly might happen. Whatever; AFC playoff field is going to be interesting because all of the likely wild-card teams are capable of winning games at all the likely division winners.
As to whether that actually happens, we'll see. But there are no AFC juggernauts right now.