“Chargers get what they asked for”

Two weeks ago the Chargers were 5-8 and trailing the 8-5 Broncos by three games for the division lead. San Diego was on the brink of elimination and they knew there was no way to make the playoffs except through the AFC West. One more loss by them or one Denver win and it was all over. But the Chargers didn’t give up. They kept fighting and winning and while that was happening the Broncos started losing. Now the two rivals will meet for what is essentially a one game playoff, winner takes all. One team will go to the playoffs as AFC West champs and the other will go home for the winter.

The Chargers have been a lot of things this year, over-estimated, under-estimated, injured, disappointing, and dramatic. Perhaps one thing they’ve been most of all is unpredictable. At the beginning of the season the experts had them winning the west easily and being a strong contender for the Super Bowl. The idea of them making the Super Bowl faded quickly as the Chargers started losing games and falling out of the picture. At 4-8 no one thought they had a chance to make the playoffs, given their position behind the Broncos and the way they were playing at that point. But San Diego has turned it around, is playing their best football of the season, and now appears to be the favorites for winning this Sunday’s game at Qualcomm Stadium.

All year long the most consistent part of the Chargers has been at quarterback. Phillip Rivers has put together the best season of his young career, throwing for over 3800 yards with 32 touchdowns and a rating of 104.0. And he’s coming off a very strong performance against the Buccaneers in which he threw four touchdowns passed to lead the Chargers to victory. The Chargers will be counting on him to play the way he has throughout this season again on Sunday.

On the other side of the ball, the Chargers defense also played well last week. The defense has been a weakness much of the season. They have had trouble getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks and their pass defense has ranked near the bottom of the league. Last week, however, they were able to get to Tampa Bay’s Jeff Garcia, sacking him several times, and forcing him to make mistakes with the ball. The biggest mistake was the interception thrown by Garcia and returned for a touchdown. The defense will look to have a similar performance against Jay Cutler who has come of age in 2008. On the year Cutler has thrown for over 4200 yards with 24 touchdowns and can pick defenses apart when given the time. San Diego will try to disrupt his rhythm and make him uncomfortable in the pocket.

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Another important aspect of this match up will be in the running game. Denver is one of the worst against the run in the Conference, giving up an average of 136 yards per game while the Chargers are considerable better. San Diego surrenders about 103 yards per game on the ground. This could be good news for Ladainian Tomlinson who is coming off a 90 yards rushing performance from last week. Either way the game could feature a lot of offense and it may come down to which team can outscore the other.

The Chargers and Broncos rivalry has really heated up recently and this game will make for the perfect setting between the division rivals. Their first meeting back in week two was a wild one. The Chargers came from far behind to take the lead late only to see their lead slip away at the end and as a result of a terrible call by the officials. Now the Chargers will have the chance for redemption and revenge.

By Steven Mondelli
ProFootball-fans.com San Diego Chargers Correspondent