Five Key Matchups: vs. Chargers
These five matchups could hold a great deal of weight on how Sunday's matchup is determined.
As Rivers tries to lead the Chargers to a strong finish to cap a disappointing year, he'll have to do so with less time than normal with the kind of pressure the Broncos can bring. Jackson has been barely contained by his opposing linemen recently, forcing multiple holding calls and getting to the quarterback often.
Sanders provided the Broncos with the spark they needed against the Bengals in Week 16, and perhaps he could do it again with the Chargers possibly without starting cornerback Jason Verrett, who suffered a hamstring injury against Oakland and hasn't practiced this week.
A week after going up against one of the toughest defensive units in the league, tackle Michael Schofield won't have much rest with Ingram looking to get around the edge when he rushes the passer. Ingram has 5.5 sacks and 10 quarterback hits in the past four games, so he will provide quite the challenge for the first-year starting lineman.
As the Chargers' receiving corps has been hit hard by injuries, QB Philip Rivers has found a great receiving threat in Inman, who has 160 receiving yards and a touchdown in the past two games.
Woodhead has received a bigger share of the offense's production as of late. He's lightning quick and can provide a great deal of yardage after the catch. On the other side, Trevathan has been a tackling machine for the Broncos (100 total tackles, 66 solo), and with Brandon Marshall's status undetermined at this point, it could be Marshall who takes the lead over the middle for Denver.
