It's not official yet, but it might as well be. The Denver Broncos are the AFC West champions. This was the Chargers last-ditch effort to claw their way back into the division title race, reach the playoffs, and save the jobs of Norv Turner and A.J. Smith. Whether Dean Spanos wants to believe this or not, the Chargers are no longer an "elite" team in the NFL. In fact, they are hardly competitive. This is not just the opinion of an angry fan base or NFL analysts...this is the new reality in San Diego.
I will give the defense credit where credit is due, they really left it all out on the field on Sunday. Peyton Manning is not an easy quarterback to contain, but the Chargers managed to hold him to a 92.4 QB rating, his worst mark since Week 2 against the Texans. Defensive coordinator John Pagano dialed up consistent pressure on Manning which resulted in three sacks, a safety, a tipped ball interception returned for a touchdown by Eric Weddle, and a good number of uncharacteristic off-target passes falling harmlessly to the turf. If there is anybody on this staff that I hope survives this disastrous season, it's Pagano.
The offense was the same steaming pile of fecal matter that it has been all year. Norv did a very Norv thing and started Jackie Battle at running back when Ryan Mathews was active. Battle rewarded Norv by finishing the day with four carries for -3 yards. As was expected, Mathews saw the most success on the ground for the Chargers, gaining 47 yards on fifteen carries. Before this season, Mathews dominated the Broncos, rushing for more than 100 yards in his first 3 games against Denver. This season, Mathews has yet to break the 100 yard mark as we head into Week 12. If that isn't a sure sign that the offensive line is the cause of most of the Chargers scoring woes, than I don't know what is. Can't open holes for the run game. Can't protect Philip Rivers. You can tell that there isn't a single pass play that Rivers isn't fearing for his life, and really, he has every reason to. One play in particular that really sums up the season was Rivers yelling at his line to shift protection to the right side to pick up the Denver blitz. His orders fell on deaf ears. Von Miller blew by a clueless Jeromey Clary and leveled Rivers in the backfield for a huge loss. No quarterback in the league would be successful with that kind of protection. The only real silver lining right now has been the play of Danario Alexander. DX had another stellar day and led the team in receiving for the third consecutive week, this time hauling in seven receptions for 96 yards and a pair of touchdowns. If he can stay healthy, Alexander has all the potential in the world of being a feasible replacement for Vincent Jackson. A quartet of Floyd, Alexander, Vincent Brown, and Antonio Gates could be dangerous if Rivers had an O-line that he could trust.
I hope we can all find peace knowing that the Chargers season is over. Anybody that doesn't believe that this is now the case is delusional. Manning will not allow the Broncos to fail. Looking at the remainder of the Chargers schedule, it is quite possible that the Chargers don't win another game for the rest of the season. Norv Turner's fate has been sealed. He will be looking for new employment during the off-season. Let's hope that A.J Smith suffers the same fate. After all, he is the reason the Chargers wasted the most talented teams in franchise history, and he is also the reason why the Chargers will miss the playoffs for the third consecutive season. A new dawn of Chargers football is on the horizon. Let's hope Dean Spanos makes the right decision this time.
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