Can Chargers Upset AFC West-Leading Broncos?
By Dave Thomas
With a big win on the road last weekend in Jacksonville, the San Diego Chargers have a little bit of confidence under their belts as they prepare to host the AFC West-leading Denver Broncos this Sunday.
Snapping a six-game losing streak, San Diego (3-8) played one of its better games of the season in dealing Jacksonville a tough loss as the Jags continues to hold meager hopes of making the AFC playoffs. Meanwhile, while San Diego could run the table and throw itself into the playoff conversation, the odds are all but slim and none.
Fast-forward to this weekend and Denver (9-2), which scored a big win at home this past Sunday night over previously unbeaten New England, gave the keys to backup quarterback Brock Osweiler for the time being. With Peyton Manning still on the mend from several injuries, it looks like Osweiler will be in charge under center for the foreseeable future. Some around the league are saying that given Denver all but has the AFC West locked up, Manning will be allowed to continue rehabilitating his injuries so as not to aggravate them more.
San Diego Could Play Spoiler Role
Given that San Diego is all but playing a spoiler role at this point in the season, the Chargers should have added motivation over the coming weeks, especially given that they are going up against old AFC West rivals.
Starting with Denver's visit this Sunday, the Chargers then go to Kansas City (6-5) the following Sunday. After a home date (Dec. 20) with Miami, San Diego winds up the season with visits to Oakland (Dec. 24) and then Denver (Jan. 3). With all the focus on the field given four of the final five opponents are division rivals, the Chargers and their fans of course must deal with the off the field distractions.
Whether the Chargers call San Diego home or not next season is in the backs of the minds of countless people around town, but team members will tell you their only focus is on the gridiron. Yes, the Chargers' players, coaches, and even fans for that matter, have no control over whether or not the Chargers call the greater Los Angeles area home next season. What the players and coaches do have control over is how they perform against Denver (twice), Kansas City, Miami and Oakland over the coming weekends.
While the Chargers typically get it together for their heated division rivalries, they looked like they were going through the motions two weekends ago when Kansas City came to town and dominated San Diego, handing the Bolts a decisive 33-3 setback. The same can be said for earlier this season when Oakland got out to a huge lead, then hung on to hand a 37-29 loss to the Chargers.
With the opportunity to finish the season strong these next five weeks, San Diego has a great chance to end the 2015 campaign on a positive note. Then again, a few more losses will position them better in next year's NFL Draft.
Dave Thomas has been covering the sports world since his first job as a sports editor for a weekly newspaper in Pennsylvania back in 1989. He has covered a Super Bowl, college bowl games, MLB, NBA and more. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
