The Donatell Diary: Limping to the Finish Line Against the Chargers
K. Joudry
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With their season quickly slipping away, the Denver Broncos took on division rival LA Chargers in Week 17. Previously, the Broncos got the best of Justin Herbert’s underrated team. This time, though, went differently. In the end, LA emerged triumphant, piling up 34 points to climb to 9-7. The Broncos, in contrast, fell to 7-9.
Readers who haven’t been following along or who’d like a refresher can feel free to read the reports on the Broncos’ defensive performance in Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 12, Week 13, Week 14, Week 15, and Week 16 (Week 11 was Denver’s bye week). It’s now time to take on Week 17.
The Positives
Admittedly, the point total – 34 – isn’t great. However, one of those touchdowns came off a kickoff returned for a touchdown.
It’s also worth mentioning that the punt return fumbled a ball and LA scored a TD shortly thereafter. All season, the Denver offense failed the Denver defense. In Week 17, the special teams similarly failed to help Ed Donatell’s group.
One positive is that Justin Herbert didn’t dominate the day. He was pretty good but unspectacular, finishing by having gone 22/31 for 237 yards and 2 TDs. By no means did Denver shut him down, but at least they contained the young phenom.
Nate Hairston – who I’ve been enthusiastic about – got a lot of snaps in this game. One of his high points was when the Chargers were down by the goal line. They completed a quick pass to Josh Palmer, trying to let their WR muscle his way into the end zone. Hairston stepped up decisively, making the tackle to keep the LA receiver short of the goal line. The Chargers had to settle for a FG. I don’t think many Vikings fans will confuse Hairston for Antoine Winfield, but he can make some tackles.
Frankly, it’s pretty amazing that Denver’s defense didn’t struggle more. They were on the road against a strong offense. The defense has been hit super hard by injury and yet they still put together a respectable game.
The Negatives
Keenan Allen is very difficult to cover. Unfortunately, it was Hairston who learned a little more about this reality on a great TD throw from Herbert:
Austin Ekeler created issues throughout the day. In the end, he had 58 rushing yards on 17 carries, so he didn’t have a totally dominant day. However, he could work his way through creases in the defense to help the Chargers move the sticks. He also had a rushing TD and then 3 catches for 54 yards.
In the above clip, you’ll see Kyle Fuller get roasted by Mike Williams. Obviously, Williams is a great receiver, so it’s not easy to hang with him, especially when the QB has such a great arm. Even still, it’s yet another instance when Fuller put his side in a tough spot.
Denver allowed LA to go 9/15 on third downs and 1/1 on fourth down. There were no sacks on Herbert. The game wasn’t particularly close. Without a dominant defensive effort, Denver had next to no shot since the offense couldn’t get anything going.
The Send Off
By dropping down to 7-9, the Broncos took themselves out of playoff contention. Given how strong the defense has been, it’s a disappointing result. The good news for Vikings fans is that the Broncos took their coaching staff in a new direction, freeing Donatell to become the DC in Minnesota.
We finish things off with The Donatell Diary next Sunday with the Broncos’ game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Vikings Territory Also Read: Former Vikings Safety Feels Disrespected, and He’s Right.
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