San Diego Chargers 29 – Denver Broncos 24
Mike Popowich wasn’t thrilled with his team’s performance even in victory: It wasn’t a great win, and the Bolts struggled in the second half to hold Denver, but the important thing is that they came out 4 and 1 for the first time in years, winning 29-24. Ryan “The Beast” Mathews continues to have a phenomenal year rushing for over a hundred yards again, and Malcolm “M80″ Floyd contributed with a sweet touchdown catch. Philip Rivers had another decent, but not typical game, but he did run one touchdown in as the offense continues to have trouble in the red zone. Nick Novak seems to be a great find for the Chargers as he has been perfect so far for field goal attempts, and the defense has been solid keeping the team in the lead, although they almost lost it in the fourth quarter with Denver bringing in Tebow. It was a gritty game as you expect from a rivalry, and there were some fights, and injuries, but fortunately, no one from the Chargers seemed to go out, and it was good to see Jammer back so soon. As I said, they have not been great wins, but the Chargers are 4 and 1 going into the bye, and it will only get tougher as they begin to play the more challenging teams, such as the Ravens, Raiders, and the Packers. First they will play the Jets in Jersey, which won’t be easy, but you can bet the Bolts will be looking for some payback, and hopefully they will have Gates back.
Like most of us, though, Rhett Davis is far more concerned with Tim Tebow: The weirdest aspect of this game was when the crowd absolutely turned against Kyle Orton. They really wanted Tim Tebow and cheered him profusely for every insignificant feat while on the field. Denver loves Tebow. San Diego played well, but if Tebow had started this game… it might have had a different outcome with the Broncos almost coming back to win the game.
My Take: Tebow looked good, not great, but he was impressive enough that starting over Orton makes sense. Worst case they sell out a few games, he ends up stinking, and the controversy goes away. Best case? They found their QB. It’s essentially a no-lose proposition. The Chargers, meanwhile, are the most under-the-radar good team in the NFL. The entire AFC is a mess, though, and this team could easily end up with a bye in the playoffs and being really dangerous. They just find ways to win. Also, on Tebow’s final play of the game, the Chargers interfered in the end-zone, actively shoving receivers out of the way.
