• It seemed the Chargers were intent on possessing the ball and keeping Peyton Manning off the field, so they forced the run too much in the first half. While that strategy worked once last year, Mike McCoy should have adjusted more quickly when it was failing in this game.
• The Broncos were lucky to avoid a couple turnovers, and got a pick when Keenan Allen slipped on a route.
• Allen had his first breakout of the season, but did most of the damage on the one good drive in the first half where the Chargers threw more on early downs before once again futilely trying to establish the run.
• Antonio Gates now has nine TDs in eight games, tying Julius Thomas for the NFL lead among all players. (Some players have played only six games to Gates' eight, however.)
• Branden Oliver did almost nothing all night, but still finished with 13.6 PPR points. Ronnie Hillman did everything and finished with 16.8, thanks to two called-back TDs.
• Peyton Manning had an end-zone interception called back on a late flag that was not entirely wrong, but a little ticky-tack. He's likely in Michael Jordan territory when it comes to the refs the rest of his career.
• Demaryius Thomas slipped and fell after catching passes at least twice, and also dropped a ball. He still went 8-for-105. Of course, Emmanuel Sanders did his best Antonio Brown impression, making great catches and scoring touchdowns. Where do the Steelers find these guys?
• Was Peyton Manning trying to draw the Chargers offsides on 3rd-and-5 with a minute left up 14? The announcers love that crap, but it seems like a cheap way to win in any situation, let alone there.
• Why was Allen returning a punt for the Chargers, down 14, with 18 seconds left in the game?
• It was a frustrating game to have the Chargers +7.5. On their penultimate drive, the Broncos were willing to give them the score to make it 35-28 as long as they took their time, but Rivers forced a deep throw that was picked. (Oliver was wide open in the flat when he did that.) I can understand why Rivers wanted to score quickly, but sometimes you have to think of all the people that bet on you.
• Between the speed of Ronnie Hillman and the power of Juwan Thompson, who powered for some first downs that were not there initially, I don't see any reason to hand Montee Ball the job when he returns.