Week 11 NFL Game Spotlight

Hello and thank you for reading the Cafe’s weekly installment of the NFL Game Spotlight. In the past weeks, we have seen exactly why we as fans love the NFL. You never know what will happen. The past week was full of upsets, whether big or small, and it just goes to show that anything can happen on any given day.

Okay, enough of that, let’s get to the game. This week we will look at a matchup that epitomizes what the NFL is about. One of the league’s best defenses and one of the league’s best offenses will collide in a divisional game Sunday night. LaDanian Tomlinson and Philip Rivers will lead the San Diego Chargers into Invesco Field at Mile High to take on Jake Plummer and (more importantly) a very stout Denver defense. Ladies and Gentleman, San Diego at Denver.

Schedule to Date:

San Diego lost to Kansas City and the Baltimore Ravens. However, they did, beat St. Louis and Cincinnati. San Diego’s two losses have been by a combined total of only 6 points. San Diego’s opponents’ combined record is 34-47.

Denver’s two losses have come to St. Louis in Week 1 and to undefeated Indianapolis in Week 8. They lost those two games by a combined total of 11 points. Denver’s notable wins have been a three game stretch where they beat Kansas City at home, New England on the road, and Baltimore at home. Denver’s opponents’ combined record is 41-41.

While both teams have had a reasonably tough schedule, Denver has had the tougher of the two, mainly due to playing New England and Indianapolis. Denver is 3-1 at home and 4-1 on the road, while San Diego is undefeated at home and 3-2 on the road.

Keys to Victory

San Diego:

1. Must focus on this game, not the past. Denver swept last season’s series and has won 14 of the last 18 meetings. San Diego is 5-30-1 at Denver since 1970. Marty Schottenheimer hasn’t had the best of luck against the Broncos either. His teams are just 3-14 all-time in Denver.

2. Must keep running the ball. San Diego is 22nd in passing attempts and 2nd in rushing attempts. If they can keep the game close enough to allow LT to win it for them, they have a much better chance. Also in the two games they have lost, Rivers had the lowest two QB ratings of the season and turned the ball over three times in those two games. In one of those two games, he was forced to throw the ball a season high 43 times.

Denver:

1. Must contain LaDanian Tomlinson. This is an absolute no-brainer. LT is a touchdown freak with 15 in his past five games and if he scores one touchdown in this game, he will have reached the 100-TD mark faster than any other RB in NFL history. However, Denver has allowed the fifth least rushing yards this season and should be able to limit LT somewhat.

2. Cannot lose the turnover game. Denver has a +3 turnover ratio, while San Diego is second in the league with a +9 turnover ratio. Denver has to keep the ball in their hands and not give San Diego any free short fields.

Injury Report

Denver:

Position	Player	Injury Type	Status
TE	Stephen Alexander	(Thumb)	Questionable
RB	Tatum Bell	(Toe)	Questionable
OLB	Patrick Chukwurah	(Hamstring)	Questionable
DE	Ebenezer Ekuban	(Thigh)	Questionable
OLB	Ian Gold	(Hamstring)	Questionable
RB	Cedric Cobbs	(Ankle)	Probable
FB	Kyle Johnson	(Ankle)	Probable
MLB	Al Wilson	(Thumb)	Probable

San Diego:

Position	Player	Injury Type	Status
DE	Luis Castillo	(Ankle)	Questionable
WR	Malcom Floyd	(Ankle)	Questionable
C	Nick Hardwick	(Ankle)	Questionable
WR	Eric Parker	(Neck)	Questionable
FS	Bhawoh Jue	(Knee)	Probable
DE	Derreck Robinson	(Foot)	Probable

Fantasy Quick Hits

San Diego:
LaDanian Tomlinson is a no-brainer. My dog would start LT no matter what defense he is facing. Philip Rivers can have a great game, but he can also bomb a game every once in a while. Unless you have a pretty high-end QB, plan on starting Rivers even though they are playing against a tough Denver defense. San Diego DST should be a good start this week against a streaky Denver offense. San Diego’s defense has really showed up this season and should continue this week.

Denver:
Tatum Bell hasn’t had a good game against a decent defense since New England in Week 3. Look elsewhere for your RB position, especially with the possible injury. Javon Walker is just about the only Denver player I would strongly suggest you start. The Denver defense has been decent at best for fantasy purposes, and they are playing one of the best offensive teams in the NFL.

Final Thoughts:
Denver has been streaky this entire season on both sides of the ball. They came to play against some tough opponents, but nearly lost several games against low-end teams as well. San Diego has been pretty consistent all year and have scored the most points per game in the NFL. Look for the San Diego offense to come out and show the Denver defense what a really good offensive team looks like. San Diego’s defense will take advantage of Denver’s hurting running game and will give Jake Plummer a hard time all day long. San Diego wins 31-21

 
Joel Wilbourn is one of a growing number of football experts who write for the Cafe. Joel is writing this from the great state of Texas and welcomes all comments and suggestions in the Cafe's forums where he posts under the name of joelamosobadiah.
 

(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)  Loading ... Questions or comments for Joel? Post them in the Cafe Forums! Want to see your own fantasy wisdom published? Check out the Cafe's Pencil & Paper section!