Column: Tom Krasovic's Chargers report card: at Broncos - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Union-Tribune writer Tom Krasovic grades the Chargers after their 23-20 loss Sunday to the Broncos in Denver. (Nick Canepa will return next week.)

Quarterbacks: C-

The better quarterback in the first quarter was the one appearing in his first NFL game: Broncos rookie Drew Lock, who threw for two TD passes, one set up by a rookie lineman’s interception of Philip Rivers, making his 220^th consecutive start. Rivers rallied with poised passes for two TDs, but not before Tyrod Taylor, his backup, warmed up after the interception. Was coach Anthony Lynn sending Rivers a message? Rivers made an extraordinary throw to set up the tying field goal in the final minute: the sideline pass hit a well-covered Mike Williams after the receiver had stumbled.

Running backs: B-

Austin Ekeler caught four passes for 51 yards. The Broncos struggled to tackle him. Melvin Gordon had 20 rushes for 99 yards. He picked up his game after failing to finish a second-quarter run, denying himself a first down, leading to a punt.

Wide receivers: B-

Keenan Allen survived a nasty landing at the end of a touchdown play. An early big play from Williams, jump-starting the offense, came after two Broncos defenders collided. Williams’s catch on fourth-and-11, in the final minute, was A-plus. The dropoff after Allen and Williams remains steep, an indictment of the Telesco-Spanos roster-building.

Offensive line: D+

Two blockers should buy a gourmet dinner for teammate Williams. False starts by guard Dan Feeney and tackle Russell Okung nixed plays on fourth-and-1 and fourth-and-6 with 2:22 left. But Williams made a highly difficult catch, converting on fourth-and-11. The Broncos were without star end Von Miller, a Rivers nemesis who’d gone 12-5 against Team Spanos. Nevertheless, the pocket was muddier than you’d like. The perimeter run blocking was fairly good.

Defensive line: C

Remember the doubts expressed of Melvin Ingram, deep into the San Diego Bolts era, when it was suggested a big contract would cause Ingram to lose his edge? Hasn’t happened. The man loves football. He had another big game. Victimizing Joey Bosa, compact RB Phillip Lindsay looked Sproles-ish, fighting past the end for 13 yards.

Linebackers: C+

Was a fourth-quarter interception Denzel Perryman’s best NFL play as a pass defender? Yep. Perryman read the rookie Lock and snagged a laser with a leaping effort. Thomas Davis, he of the three reconstructive knee surgeries, went down with a knee injury. Then he returned, and played fairly well.

Secondary: D

Derwin James made his season debut. There was rust, but he was helpful. For Casey Hayward, his team’s best pass defender, the first and fourth quarters were worse than mile-high sickness. Courtland Sutton beat Hayward for two touchdown catches in the first quarter. In the game’s final seconds, on a deep heave to Sutton, a pass-interference penalty on Hayward led to the Broncos kicking a winning field goal. The call was questionable, at best.

Special teams: D-

Troymaine Pope muffed a punt, leading to a Broncos field goal. Pope got the job because Desmond King mishandled two punts in the previous game. The inability to kick a touchback at high altitude made the end of the first half too exciting. Deservedly, Drue Tranquill, a rookie who’d blocked two punts this year, was flagged for roughing the punter. Kicker Michael Badgley missed from 52 yards, but tied it, from 46 yards, with 19 seconds left.

Coaching: F

Anthony Lynn was too timid, calling on Badgley instead of going for it on fourth-and-1, with 52 seconds left. His clock management wasn’t ideal at the end of either half. The offense looked no better than before Lynn fired coordinator Ken Whisenhunt. The Chargers were the healthier team, by far, but made too many mistakes in several phases.

Next opportunity (at Jacksonville): C (cancel)

Bolts at Jags shapes up as an ugly one. A bad team once again, the Jaguars (4-8) have lost their past four games by 23, 20, 22 and 17 points. Team Spanos stands to face another backup quarterback, Gardner Minshew, who replaced Nick Foles in the 17-point loss Sunday to the Bucs.

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Column: Tom Krasovic's Chargers report card: at Broncos - The San Diego Union-Tribune
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