Preseason Game 1 Breakdowns for San Diego and Denver
Last night, two AFC teams took to the field in their first preseason contests of 2012.
Both games were fairly high profile, as the Chargers took on the Packers in a game that featured two on the NFL’s best quarterbacks, while the Broncos took on the Bears, highlighted by the return of Peyton Manning.
Here a few things I noticed about the two AFC West teams in each game:
Chargers
-Antonio Gates looked refreshed at the tight end position, breaking free once for a touchdown grab. We’ll see if his aging body can keep it up for an entire season.
-Philip Rivers was not impressive. I’m not sure what’s wrong, but in the five passes he threw last night, he looked like the same erratic player he was in 2011.
-Vincent Brown is legit. The second year man out of San Diego State led all receivers with four catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. I see him evolving into one of Rivers’ favorite targets this season.
-The Chargers are desperate to find a backup for Ryan Matthews. Eight different running backs toted the rock for San Diego last night, with only Curtis Brinkley logging any meaningful carries.
-Rookie defensive tackle Kendall Reyes looked solid, registering four tackles and a half of a sack. The Chargers got a gamer on their D-Line.
Broncos
-Other than the pick he threw, I couldn’t really notice a difference in Peyton Manning’s play. Obviously we’ll need a larger sample size to make a more conclusive judgement on how effective he’ll be.
-Xavier Omon stood out to mean when rushing the ball. I saw him play in person at Division II powerhouse Northwest Missouri State and thought back then he played a lot like Edgerrin James. Keep an eye on whether or not he makes the Broncos final roster, as he could be a factor going forward.
-Rookie defensive tackle Derek Wolfe is an absolute beat and a scary addition to the Denver front seven.
-I don’t know if Denver’s defense was that good or Chicago’s offense was that bad. Either way, impressive performance by the Broncos, though I would have liked to have seen one series against Jay Cutler.
I’ll break down the Chief’s performance in tonight’s game tomorrow morning right here at Silver and Black Daily.
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