The Chargers come one step closer to finishing their season on Sunday, matching up with a Broncos team who just benched their starting quarterback.
Here are a few things to watch for in the contest.
Derwin James' snaps
James played only 41 snaps last week against the Bills, a career low in games where James did not leave early due to injury or ejection. Defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley said earlier in the week that James’ absence on a key third and 8 late in the game was a coaching error, not an intentional benching.
Even so, James’ role was more clearly defined in the first week of the post-Brandon Staley era. He almost exclusively played in the slot, with two snaps at deep safety on the final two snaps of the game. It’s clear that Ansley’s vision for the former All-Pro is to keep things simple and let James play fast and get into a rhythm. That consistency, however, also necessitates that James leaves the field more than Chargers fans are used to.
True WR1 opportunity
With Keenan Allen (heel) and Joshua Palmer (concussion) out for Sunday’s game, Los Angeles will get their first real look at what Quentin Johnston looks like as the Chargers’ No. 1 wideout. To this point, Johnston has been a secondary option behind one or both players. Although his impact has increased with Easton Stick at quarterback, LA’s 2023 first-round pick has yet to prove he’s a future star.
With both the general manager and head coach who drafted Johnston out of the building and a strong wide receiver class in the upcoming draft, the TCU product is very much auditioning for a place in Los Angeles’ long-term plans. The Chargers offense will likely flow through Austin Ekeler and Gerald Everett plenty as well, but Johnston should be due for a starring role on Sunday.
Jarrett Stidham, take two
Stidham has been in this position before. With Derek Carr’s contract guaranteed for injury, the Raiders benched their franchise quarterback for the final handful of games in favor of Stidham. The 2019 fourth-round pick played relatively well for Las Vegas, but not well enough to remain in the Raiders’ plans beyond 2022. Instead, he headed to Denver, where the Broncos have now benched Russell Wilson to avoid triggering injury guarantees.
The Chargers did not encounter Stidham during his short stint as Raiders signal-caller, but he did throw three passes against Los Angeles during his time as a Patriot. In a divisional showdown with mostly pride and job security on the line, Stidham will have plenty to play for against an LA defense that has struggled.
Defensive momentum
While they have struggled, last week was something of a revelation for the Chargers defense in their first week with Ansley calling the plays. Los Angeles held Josh Allen under 250 yards passing and James Cook to only 70 yards rushing, limiting but not quite eliminating the explosive plays that have wrecked the Chargers this season.
Denver could be without Courtland Sutton (concussion) and Marvin Mims (hamstring) on Sunday. With Russell Wilson at quarterback, Sutton was Denver’s leading receiver in the 24-7 win three weeks ago. Mims has been the Broncos’ big-play threat, although the Chargers held him to just 11 yards in their first matchup. Without those two and with Stidham under center, Los Angeles could very well stack another decent defensive performance.
