DENVER -- Another emotional game by the Denver Broncos team resulted in a win against the division rivals in the San Diego chargers.
The game became personal for the Broncos -- particularly the defense -- when a chargers player knocked into Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips.
He left the field, but did not leave the minds of the players on the field, who fought for their coach in his absence. The Broncos wound up winning the game 27 to 19.
Five crucial events influenced the outcome of the game, including Phillips' departure. Watch them below:
1.) Broncos fail in the first.
The first quarter has been an immensely frustrating one for the Broncos. They approach the bottom of the barrel for both points scored and points allowed.
Although the team was able to score a field goal on its first drive, it allowed a touchdown on the Chargers first drive, setting a negative note for the game moving forward.
53-yard gain, courtesy of Watt?!@DerekWatt34! #Chargers #SDvsDEN https://t.co/lTcWOUJ3hY
— NFL (@NFL) October 30, 2016
2.) Offense shows flashes, but struggles overall.
One truly beautiful drive by the Broncos, in addition to a few scintillating passes, highlight an overall dull game by the unit. A stretch of three-and-outs from the first into the second quarters highlighted what can go wrong with the offense -- stagnancy brought out by a slow-to-materialize run game.
However they also showed those flashes of brilliance, best represented by that third quarter drive, taking it all the way to the end zone with help from both running backs, receivers and of course Trevor Siemian.
The quarterback, who ranks last in the league in long passing attempts, did have a set of nice passes, however. One such pass, to his favorite receiver Emmanuel Sanders, put the Broncos in scoring range and got the crowd roaring.
Beautiful.
Just beautiful, @ESanders_10. #SDvsDEN https://t.co/CVKXFal6Ml
— NFL (@NFL) October 30, 2016
3.) Wade Phillips rushed to local hospital.
Players often have enough momentum -- especially when tackling or being tackled -- to carry the play into the sideline, however one such player took the Broncos Defensive Coordinator by surprise.
Phillips was knocked in the head, toppling backwards and collapsing onto the field. Medical professionals put him on a backboard to prevent any neck or spine damage, then rushed him to a hospital.
All of his limbs were moving and he was communicating with staff -- a positive sign. The loss, however shook the broncos.
Wade Phillips carted off #Broncos field more @DenverChannel pic.twitter.com/0DoWxH1sUY
— Ryan O'Connor (@RyanO_Denver7) October 30, 2016
4.) Phillips goes down, defense goes up.
The loss of coach Phillips definitely affected the team, but not in the way some might expect. His players rallied around the loss, racking up three interceptions -- including on the play he went out.
Winning the turnover game is crucial to Denver. The team has won 28 straight games in which they win the turnover battle.
PICK-6 ALERT
Rivers' pass is TIPPED.
And @BradRoby_1 takes it to the house. #SDvsDEN https://t.co/1jE9srMyyk— NFL (@NFL) October 30, 2016
5.) Special teams and defense denies crucial points in crunch time.
The special teams unit successfully denied a total of three points to the Chargers by denying extra point attempts alone.
As the Chargers scored a touchdown, making the score 17 to 13, the Broncos denied allowing the Chargers an extra point that would have made the score 17 to 14. Special teams was able to block the attempt.
In the fourth quarter, as the Chargers capitalized on an interception, securing a pick-six, the team went for a two-point conversion. Rather than allow the points, players were able to bat away a potential successful pass by Rivers, keeping their score at 19 points.
In total, the three points equate to a field goal -- which could have changed the outcome of the game.
Read more Broncos coverage from the Sunday victory here.
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