Five Key Matchups: Broncos-Chargers

Chris Harris Jr., the Broncos' most productive corner this season, will likely be paired with Philip Rivers' favorite target, Keenan Allen, at times during Sunday's matchup. Allen is coming off a tough outing against New England where Darrelle Revis was able to contain him to just two catches for three yards.Allen is building upon last season, where he finished as one of the top rookies in the NFL. When the Bolts and Broncos faced off in the divisional round of the 2013-14 playoffs, he had six catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns. While Allen thrived in that matchup but the Chargers fell short, Harris partially tore his ACL in that game.But both are back this season and playing extremely well – in fact, Harris was the recipient of one of the Broncos' game balls following an impressive performance against the Bills.

In just his first season with the team since spending his first six in Kansas City, Brandon Flowers is a key part of the Chargers' lineup and is playing at a Pro-Bowl level so far this season. He missed the teams' first matchup of the season due to a concussion.While the Broncos' offensive identity has  shifted toward the run game in recent weeks, Demaryius Thomas remains a dangerous target for Peyton Manning and is No. 4 in the NFL in receiving yards (1,266 yards). After posting seven-consecutive games with 100-plus receiving yards, Thomas has posted a three game streak with 87 yards or less. Despite the lag in yards, he has four TDs in that span."They play the game, they practice, they study the way they are supposed to," Mike McCoy said of Harris and Flowers. "They make the most of every opportunity they get. Every player is different. They have their strengths and weaknesses but the big thing is their willingness to be the best and the way they want to work about it, the way they go around it, their leadership abilities. They play with a chip on their shoulder all the time and get their hands on a lot of balls."

The last time Antonio gates scored a touchdown was against the Broncos in Week 8. That game he was able to accumulate 54 yards on five catches. While his yardage wasn't significant, he had two second-half red-zone touchdowns and kept the Chargers within 14 points.In that game, he surpassed Lance Alworth for most receiving yards in Chargers history."He's a soon-to-be Hall of Fame tight end, so he just knows how to get open, he knows how to use his body to shield you and he's got great hands," Aqib Talib said. "It's like he's always open and him and his quarterback have excellent chemistry together. [Rivers] kind of knows what [Gates is] going to do. He can loft the ball up before he gets into his route and they have great chemistry, so they connect on a lot of plays." During the Chargers' comeback win over the Raiders two weeks ago, Gates had 83 receiving yards on seven receptions. Other than that game, Gates hasn't been particularly impactful in recent weeks and will look to bounce back against the Broncos.Gates is powerful, quick and versatile – a matchup nightmare. "He's definitely a guy that I've watched a lot of tape of, I have a lot of respect for him," Julius Thomas said. "Definitely one of my favorite players to watch play football."

Julius Thomas and Jordy Nelson lead the NFL with 12 touchdowns on the season – even though Thomas has missed nearly four games. He still leads the league with nine red-zone scores. Thomas dressed against the Bills, but did not play and is listed as probable for Sunday. Having Thomas back on the field would be huge for the Broncos, especially in the red zone."I saw great progress last week and then even better progress this week," Head Coach John Fox said of Thomas.Eric Weddle covered Rob Gronkowski almost all night last Sunday and the 6-6 tight end was able to get 87 yards on eight catches plus one touchdown. It's hard to pinpoint how the Chargers will cover Thomas if he is back on Sunday, but they will look to contain the Broncos' red-zone weapon.Peyton Manning, who is undefeated against the Chargers as a Bronco, had some high praise for Weddle and the Chargers' versatile D."I think they have it all in their arsenal, because a couple of the guys have been there for a couple years. Certainly with Weddle being there, I think he's got enough guys in each spot where he can bring up old stuff and those guys can help communicate it," Manning said. "I think that helps. It's all there and you have to kind of see what it's going to be like on that particular series or that particular day so you better be on top of it and you better be mentally prepared to see a lot of it."

The Chargers have lost three starting centers this season – Nick Hardwick, Rich Ohrnberger and Doug Legursky. Rookie third-round pick Chris Watt now fills that vacancy for the Chargers. The Broncos have blitzed frequently in the past few games and inexperience at that position could leave the Chargers vulnerable – which was the case against the Patriots when Philip Rivers was sacked four times. "We got a system in place here and we got a great quarterback that can make sure everything is on the right page, everything like that, directing traffic," Chargers Head Coach Mike McCoy said. "It's been the next-man-up mentality. I think the coaching staff has done an outstanding job of adjusting those players. The five centers we've used throughout the year have all stepped up at critical times and have done a nice job, did a good job of directing traffic and making all the calls and everything for us."Watt, a Notre Dame product, had never played center before this season and will start his third NFL game on Sunday. He played guard when the Broncos and Chargers played earlier this season.The shockingly quick and athletic Terrance Knighton will look to take advantage of Watt's youth."You know he's a good player," Knighton said of Watt. "When you're thrown in the fire and you have a quarterback like Philip Rivers, it puts a lot of pressure on you. But the good thing is at center, you can kind of hide. It's not like he's out there on an island at left tackle or anything, but he's a good player, he fights, and he'll bring it to me and I'll be ready."