Big Brother has Big Comeback in San Diego
By Mike Ferrara
The Week 6 Monday night matchup was between two AFC West rivals, the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers, and boy was it a good one.
At the start of the game, Phillip Rivers looked sharp. In the first half, he threw for 131 yards and 2 touchdowns to tight end Antonio Gates.
Peyton Manning, on the other hand, had a rough start to the game. He didn’t throw any touchdowns in the first half and was picked for six by cornerback Quentin Jammer.
The Broncos were down 24-0 at the end of the second half. What looked like an easy win for the Chargers turned into the greatest comeback in Monday Night Football history.
In the second half, Manning completely went off. He went 13-14 with 167 yard and 3 touchdowns. He had much help from his defense who held the Chargers to 0 points and 5 turnovers in the second half.
Rivers was the complete opposite of Manning in the second half. He went 14-24 with 111 yards and no touchdowns. He fumbled the ball twice and one was even returned for a touchdown. On top of that, he threw 3 interceptions including one that was picked for six with two minutes to go that helped the Broncos seal the deal and complete the comeback.
Peyton and the Broncos completed the 2nd largest halftime comeback in the Super Bowl era. They are the 4th team to overcome a 24+ point deficit at half. The Broncos are the first team in NFL history to win by double digits after trailing by at least 24 points.
Eli Manning must be proud of his big brother’s performance last night. Meanwhile, Phillip Rivers is proving to the world that he is the AFC’s version of Tony Romo.