SAN DIEGO – Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers offense figured out a way to put up 21 points against the Denver Broncos in beating them at Qualcomm Stadium two weeks ago for the first time in six years.
But San Diego’s veteran quarterback understands defeating the Broncos for the second time in three weeks will be a much tougher task on the road at Sports Authority Field.
The stakes are high for San Diego. Win and the Chargers move to 4-4 on the year at the halfway mark and remain in the hunt for a spot in the postseason.
Lose, and San Diego falls further behind in the competitive AFC West.
“You look at the AFC West, and it’s probably up there close to being the best division in the league,” Rivers said. “Just week in and week out, you see the way teams have played in our division, who’s won and who they have beaten, and we know it’s a good division.
“So we know to keep pace how big this one would be, with it being a division game and an opportunity to get to .500 at the halfway point.”
According to Football Outsiders, the Chargers have a 49 percent chance of making the postseason with a win over the Broncos, and just a 19 percent chance with a loss.
Rivers said San Diego will have its hands full battling what he considers the best defense in the NFL.
Outside linebacker Von Miller is second in the NFL in sacks (7.5), and fellow edge rusher DeMarcus Ware could return to the field on Sunday after missing five games with a broken forearm.
Denver tops the NFL in passing offense, giving up just 175 passing yards per contest. The Broncos are third in the NFL in total offense allowed (291.6 yards per game), tied for fourth in takeaways (13) and sixth in points allowed per game (16.7).
“I don’t think either of us are a ton different in a one-week span,” Rivers said. “It will be about what team out-executes the other team, protects the football and manages field position -- all of those other things that always decide games.”
Rivers said it’s important for his team to keep that edge and saltiness the Chargers had when they were fighting to dig themselves out of a 1-4 hole to start the season.
“We don’t need to exhale now that we’ve won two in a row, because none of those mean anything,” Rivers said. “As you know, going to Denver is going to be a heck of a challenge.”