Former Denver Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe and former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson broke down Denver’s Thursday Night Football loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on an episode of Nightcap last week.
First, Sharpe addressed the intricacies of the Chargers’ rare fair catch kick at the end of the first half, as the Broncos led Los Angeles at halftime 21-13.
Then, Sharpe turned his attention to the crucial penalty committed by Broncos linebacker Justin Strnad, when he was called for a late hit on Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert.
“When the quarterback start to slide, (the referees) not gonna let you touch him, even if you bump him,” Sharpe said. “So guys just go over the top with a monkey roll. If you touch the quarterback, and he’s going into a slide, they’re going to throw a penalty. You can’t say that ‘I didn’t hit him that hard!’ Don’t touch him!”
Sharpe summed up the second half of the game, saying, “The Broncos self-inflicted the penalties in the second half, both offensively and defensively.”
Denver committed seven penalties for 61 yards, which sustained Charger drives and led to the Broncos’ downfall.
Fans can watch the rest of Sharpe and Johnson’s analysis here:
Up next for the Broncos is a road game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday. Denver needs one more win to clinch a spot in the NFL playoffs.
