A Royal opportunity
Who. Eddie Royal, WR, Broncos.
When. 6:15 p.m. tonight at San Diego.
Why. When these teams met previously, the Broncos’ other receiver, Brandon Marshall, had 18 catches. Royal was quiet until catching a TD pass and game-winning two-point conversion with 24 seconds left. The Chargers may gear their game plan around stopping Marshall this time, which should give Royal chances against the 31st-ranked pass defense. Royal leads all rookie receivers with 80 catches — 20 more than DeSean Jackson and running back Matt Forte. Royal needs 96 yards receiving against the Chargers to give the Broncos their first pair of 1,000-yard receivers since Rod Smith and Ashley Lelie in 2004 (Marshall already has 1,210). “It would be nice, but now’s not the time to be worrying about stats,” Royal said. “It’s all about making the playoffs.”
