Los Angeles Chargers: Staff predictions vs. Denver Broncos

The Los Angeles Chargers host the Denver Broncos in Week 5 looking to move above .500 while the Broncos chase their first win.

After beating the Miami Dolphins to move back to 2-2, the Los Angeles Chargers are back in LA to host the Denver Broncos in the team’s first AFC West matchup of the year.

On paper, the Chargers should have this game in the bag as they are still the team that had the joint-best record in the AFC last year while the Broncos are an 0-4 team with Joe Flacco at quarterback.

However, with the slew of injuries on the Los Angeles Chargers as well as the fact that they are one of the most unpredictable teams in the league, it can be hard to pinpoint how this game is going to go.

That is exactly what we are going to do here at LA Sports Hub, as we do every week. Here is how the LA Sports Hub staff sees this Week 5 AFC West matchup going down.

Ahmad Akkaoui (3-4): 35-21, Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers are surprisingly underperforming in my opinion, but they are in a rough spot with a lot of injuries week in and week out. Phillip Rivers is playing well and making the throws to his receivers.

The running game with Austin Ekeler is solid, and with Melvin Gordon hinting at a return, it might get even better. On the other side, the Broncos are winless so far and they have Joe Flacco under center. It’s kind of a weird thing to say considering their defense has been pretty good for the last few years, but their quarterback position hasn’t been consistent at all.

The Chargers are home and I think they’re going to take this game. Denver might have to wait another week to get a win.

Jamaal Artis (6-1): 30-14, Los Angeles Chargers

A week after getting one winless NFL team, the

San Diego

Los Angeles Chargers get another to help them get above .500 football.

The Chargers get to play the winless Denver Broncos at home. They should run Austin Ekeler and Melvin Gordon down their throats. When the Broncos try to stop the run then throw to Keenan Allen and collect another win.

Joe Flacco has not solved the Broncos quarterback problems and the Chargers defense will present a difficult matchup. The Chargers have not made it easy on themselves but the Broncos won’t prove to be a hard matchup.

Hil Lopez (6-3): 24-20, Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers will welcome the Broncos on the heels of dispatching the helpless Dolphins 30-10 last week. Rivers looked really good throwing for over 300 yards despite missing a ton of his offensive weapons.

Luckily for the Chargers, they get Melvin Gordon back this week. It is unclear how much of a workload he will handle as Austin Ekeler was the workhorse for the first four weeks.

With these two working in tandem, and the Broncos reeling from another last-second field goal loss, this divisional tilt will definitely be a close one.

The Chargers though are the better team and will come out on top 24-20 for a much-needed division win to get over .500.

Redan Lopez (6-3): 20-17, Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers come in with a healthy Melvin Gordon and need to keep pace with AFC West leader Kansas City Chiefs. Although Gordon is back with the team, fellow Running Back Austin Ekeler had excelled in his absence.

The winless Broncos are still searching for their first win of the season and have been on the wrong side of close games. The offense operated at a slow pace that’s it’s hard to figure out how it will put up points, especially if the team falls behind.

Look for this game to one of the slower-paced ones this season where there will be lots of 3 and outs. The Broncos will have a tough time against the Chargers defense and vice versa.

While the Broncos will put up a resilient effort, the Chargers are more determined to not let inferior teams get the best of them. They’ll win this one and keep pace with Chiefs.

Jason Reed (3-6): 26-24, Denver Broncos

I am a fan of the Chargers and I can already predict exactly how this game is going to go. The Chargers defense is going to make Joe Flacco look like 2011 Joe Flacco and the team is going to fall into a rut early.

Philip Rivers and company will come storming back to take the lead in the second half and everything will feel right in the world, that is until Joe Flacco leads a drive down-field to kick a field goal.

This will give the Chargers a chance to run the two-minute offense and for the third time this season it will come up short. The Chargers always lose games that they should win. They already did it with the Lions and they will do it again with the Broncos to give them their first win of the year.

Jon Soden (2-5): 24-14, Los Angeles Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers will face the Denver Broncos this Sunday. If all goes as expected, the Chargers should cruise to another victory.

However, the Broncos are desperate, and if the want any chance to turn their season around a make a run at the playoffs, it starts on Sunday.

The Broncos offensive has not been good (as expected), but it has been their defense that has been surprising been equally as lacking. But with Von Miller in the lineup, there is always a chance for big plays and for the Broncos to get back to what they do best.

Additionally, this will likely be the first time Charger fans get to see Melvin Gordon back in action. With Austin Eckler being so effective, it’s possible that Gordon’s return could actually hinder the offense.