Broncos defense stifles San Diego early

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For three quarters, the story of the second AFC Divisional match up was the Denver defense, who shut out Phillip Rivers and the Chargers offense until the Chargers put up 17 in the 4th quarter. How did the Broncos stifle the Chargers offense? Simple - they put pressure on Phillip Rivers, who couldn't find his form until the furious fourth quarter rally.

While Rivers didn't throw a pick, he was rushed for most of the game and was sacked four times totaling 23 yards lost. He only threw for 45 yards in the first half while the rushing game was thoroughly ineffective. While the Chargers looked like a different team in the fourth quarter, credit has to be given to the Denver defense for stifling them for the majority of the game.

Not that there weren't mistakes, though. It seemed at times that the Broncos were intentionally trying to let the Chargers back into the game. There were two turnovers on the offensive side of the ball, a missed field goal, and a couple of dropped interceptions by the Chargers defense.

Eventually San Diego did make a valiant attempt at a comeback, but it was too late when they decided to finally show up to play. And Patriots fans can take heart because the Patriots are a much better team than the Chargers, and they'll take advantage if the Broncos make those mistakes in the AFC Championship.

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