Week Sixteen Crystal Ball - Thursday: A Big Night in the AFC West
Published continually since 1994
My friends, THE GURU is in an LA state of mind this evening as the Broncos (9-5, 4-3 away) visit the Chargers (8-6, 4-3 home) in a pivotal AFC West matchup.
If the season ended right now, both teams would be in the postseason with Denver and Los Angeles capturing the last two AFC seeds - sixth and seventh respectively. But, of course, there are three more games for each team with tonight’s matchup looming larger than yours truly in a kiddie pool.
The Broncos and Chargers have been going at it since 1960 when they were part of the old American Football League. San Diego dominated the first decade of the rivalry to the tune of 15-5 but the Broncos took control under John Elway in the 1980s and 1990s and now lead the all-time series 73-56-1.
The first meeting - on October 16, 1960 - was a 23-19 Chargers’ victory led by the nifty running of the great Paul Lowe, who ran for 72 yards and two TDs. Jack Kemp, the seven-time AFL All-Pro and future U.S. congressman, was the quarterback for the victors.
Quarterback play has always been at the heart of this rivalry with guys like Elway, Peyton Manning and Frank Tripucka - father of future NBA hoops star Kelly - on the Denver side. The LA/SD folks have historically boasted even more firepower at the game’s most critical position with Kemp, Philip Rivers, John Hadl, Herbert, and my personal favorite, Hall of Famer Dan Fouts.
As a lad, I loved watching Fouts as he expertly orchestrated the “Air Coryell” offense for famed head coach Don’s entire nine-year tenure (1978-86) in San Diego. He was a perfect distributor of the football, feeding talented star receivers Wes Chandler, John Jefferson, Charlie Joiner, and Kellen Winslow.
Yet, as good as Fouts was, he struggled statistically against Denver. Sure, he averaged 255 yards passing vs. the Broncos but his record was 8-14 and his interception to TD ratio was a shocking 21-to-38. Yes, those Denver defenses were almost always stellar but those numbers, folks, are not representative of Dan Fouts football, no matter the opponent.
That said, Fouts had some shining moments against the famed Orange Crush defense. One game that stands out: San Diego’s 30-20 win in November 1982 when the Oregon alum threw for 337 yards and three scores - all to Winslow1 - in an important early-season victory. The man was dialed in.
Surely, THE NORTH END GRILLER - a born and bred San Diegan - went to bed with a smile that night, likely dreaming of playoff glory and, perhaps, of concocting some sort of bouillabaisse. He must’ve known that, with a spatula in his hand, he’d become every bit as magical as Fouts.
Fast-forwarding to tonight, my heart says “Chargers” but my head thinks the Broncos will prevail. Sean Payton’s club is on quite the roll with four straight wins while LA has dropped three of four. Don’t count Harbaugh out but let’s call it 23-21, Denver.
As for yours truly, the record was 12-5 (.706) last week to push the season mark to 144-81 (.640). Enjoy the evening and I’ll be back in advance of this weekend’s games. God bless!
Interestingly, he only caught six TD passes against Denver in his entire career, per Pro Football Reference.