Chargers Vs Broncos: Five Things To Watch For In Week 3, Including A Pass Rush Unit Without Khalil Mack 

It’s common knowledge now that whenever safety Tony Jefferson is elevated to the active roster, in this case, replacing injured safety Elijah Molden, there will be interceptions in the game. He’s just gotten too many when he plays for the Chargers for that not to be the case.

And there were three in last week’s game, each from different defensive players, including Jefferson, when he had a pick close to the end zone on a pass meant for Raiders wide receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr.

So far this season, the usual suspects have been excelling in the Broncos’ receiving core, including wide receivers Marvin Mims Jr., Troy Franklin, and Courtland Sutton, each of whom has recorded receiving touchdowns.

Sutton, in particular, is someone to watch out for as Nix certainly connected with him quite a bit in the matchups against the Chargers last season.

The secondary coverage for the Chargers has been on point so far, so I expect that interception number to increase this coming week as Nix attempts to get the ball to some of his playmakers.

Additionally, this Chargers’ defense has been doing well with pass breakups, with players like cornerbacks Tarheeb Still and Donte Jackson and others with multiple this season. 

A Revenge Performance From Former Charger Running Back J.K. Dobbins

It’s no secret that Dobbins was the main engine behind the run game last year for the Chargers, and despite missing a few weeks, he led the team in all rushing stats. He was only signed to a one-year deal in LA, and when he entered free agency, though the Chargers didn’t sign him to a new deal, according to Nick Shook of ESPN, they did put “an unrestricted free agent tender on the back, granting them exclusive negotiating rights with Dobbins if he did not sign with another team by July 22.”

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He signed with the Broncos in that time period, and in the first couple of weeks, it looks as if he’s trying for a repeat of 2024 as he already has the most rushing yards (139) and touchdowns (two) of the team.

This next game should add a little extra fire to his performance, so the Chargers need to pay extra attention whenever he’s in.

More Opportunities for The Chargers’ Wide Receivers Outside Of Ladd McConkey

Though wide receiver Ladd McConkey was thought to be the the Chargers’ number one wide receiver heading into this season, he’s actually been targeted three times less (14) than wide receiver Keenan Allen (17), while Quentin Johnston only has one target behind McConkey and three receiving touchdowns, including a beautiful 60-yarder he caught on a deep reception from quarterback Justin Herbert on Monday night.

Since Herbert seems to be airing the ball out more, it’ll be interesting to see if some of the rookies start to see their target share tick up and if Johnston keeps being as dominant in this next game as he has been in the first two.

The Chargers will certainly have some coverage players to be wary of, like Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II, but if Herbert can keep finding space to get them the ball, we should continue to see dominant play from this area.