Reeling Denver Broncos At Crux Of Season Vs. San Diego Chargers

NFL News - November 17th, 2009 - Written by John

The Denver Broncos felt they had settled the AFC West weeks ago when they convincingly handled the San Diego Chargers on Monday Night Football.

But by Week 11, things have gotten back to square and the Broncos, losers of three-straight, are beginning to feel the heat. Oddsmakers haven't released the lines for this game, due to uncertainty over Kyle Orton's ankle injury, but we will have the update as soon as it is available.

It is clear how valuable Orton has been to the team. Although not remarkable, Orton has steadily been an influence in the huddle and has made a superstar out of Brandon Marshall. Not that he wasn't already among the best in the league, Marshall has suddenly vaulted to a clutch player with a handful of impact receptions that turned games on their heels. But without the Purdue-grad, the offense sputtered last week in the second half against Washington. In that game, Chris Simms completed just three of his 13 passes and couldn't bring the Broncos out of an embarrassing loss to the Redskins.

Meanwhile, San Diego has done nothing but gain steam since their Week Six meeting, winning four-straight against a mixture of good and bad teams, including a comeback victory in the New York Giants' house, and a handling of the Philadelphia Eagles last week. In that game, LaDainian Tomlinson celebrated his best day as a pro. Not only did he break out of a scoreless slump with two touchdowns, but he entered the post-game locker room to find a positive pregnancy test left by his wife, indicating the pending arrival of his first child.

Philip Rivers is completing 62-percent of his passes and has a TD-INT ratio of nearly 3:1.

Both teams have a similar strength of schedule moving forward, but a loss, and the ensuing media frenzy, would likely be more damning for Denver.

At this time, there are no NFL Betting Lines available for this game posted at our online sportsbooks, including at DSI. Oddsmakers have yet to release them yet as they are still handicapping this game. Stay posted for further updates on this game.

To discuss this and other NFL related stories be sure to check out our new forum at:
https://www.usaplayers.com/forums/nfl-news/