Clough: Chargers not best AFC West team, but toughest Broncos foe

The Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers will face off again for the second time in less than three weeks Sunday with divisional positioning among the standings on the line.

San Diego escaped a late Denver comeback two weeks ago on Thursday Night Football to hand the Broncos its first AFC West road loss since 2010. And a Chargers win Sunday means they won the season series 2-0 — and give them a leg up on Denver in a tight divisional race.

And Sunday’s matchup might be the most difficult divisional tilt Denver faces this season, as Sports Radio 104.3 The Fan’s Sandy Clough and Broncos Insider Cecil Lammey concurred on Wednesday that San Diego might be the toughest AFC West opponent the team faces this season.

On with Clough, Lammey said Chargers running back Melvin Gordon and fellow offensive teammates are explosive while defensive end Joey Bosa’s impact on the opposite side of the ball has already been felt.

“From a Broncos perspective, this is the team that matches up best with them in the division,” Lammey said

But Clough pointed to San Diego infrequently turning opponents over (12 times, 9th in NFL) and giving up the ball too much (15 times, third in NFL ) as reasons why they may not be the best team in the AFC West, coupled with the strong quarterback play from the Oakland Raiders’ Derek Carr and coaching from Kansas City Chiefs’ Andy Reid.

But Clough agreed with Lammey that they match up well with the Broncos.

In particular, Denver has not found an answer for Chargers tight end Hunter Henry, who gashed the Broncos for 83 yards and a touchdown on just 6 receptions in the two team’s last meeting.

“Maybe teams will how to get him handled a little more effectively. But for now, the Broncos certainly didn’t have any answers back on Oct. 13. We’ll see if by this Sunday, October 30,” Clough said.

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @johnnyhart7.