Weekly Reactions-Divisional Round Edition

Jan 12, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos fans hold a sign for San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers during the 2013 AFC divisional playoff football game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Denver defeated San Diego 24-17. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Too Little, Too Late for San Diego
The Sleeper Squad, the little team that could, the San Diego Chargers and their unprecedented winning streak unfortunately ceased to exist last Sunday as the Denver Broncos pulled out a 24-17 win at Sports Authority Field in Denver. For the good majority of the game, the Broncos looked as though the Chargers should not have been in the playoffs at all. Until the 4th quarter, the Broncos D had allowed Philip Rivers and the usually potent Chargers’ pass attack to throw for only 73 yards. 73 yards in 3 quarters, think about that. Not only was this Chargers team undisciplined (Chargers committed 8 penalties for a total of 63 yards), but they just did not perform in the first 3 quarters. Along with allowing Philip Rivers to be sacked 4 times, the Chargers offensive line also played poorly when attempting to block for the Chargers’ running backs. One of the main reasons for the Chargers’ loss was the inability of the Chargers’ rushing offense to create any production on the ground. In the entire game, Mathews and Danny Woodhead were only able to rush for a paltry 55 yards on 14 carries (3.92 yards per carry average). Considering that the Chargers running game had been performing so well the past 4 weeks, it was a shame to see Woodhead and Mathews be limited like that. Although it wasn’t all Woodhead’s fault. Going in, Mathews was questionable and even though he was averaging 5.2 yards per carry in the first half, he was still taken out as precaution for his injury. In my opinion I would have kept Mathews in, considering the amount of success he had had against the Bengals and in the final 4 games of the season. With Philip Rivers and the offensive line struggling to be on the same page, the Chargers could have used a powerful back like Mathews in the 2nd half. When looking at the overall performance I want to put a little bit of the blame on the defense for allowing 24 points, however when I remind myself that the defense is playing against former MVP and arguably best QB ever Peyton Manning and the record-breaking Denver Broncos offense, I give them a bit of credit. Considering that the Bolts limited the Broncos to 112 yards under their usual season total, I would say that they played quite well. Also to hold on for four quarters with only 24 points given up to Peyton Manning takes a massively talented bunch of guys. However, when the defense needed to make key stops on 3rd and 17 and other 3rd downs with the clock winding down, the once talented defense has suddenly vanished. Manning threw for only 230 yards and was intercepted once, however due to offensive woes, the Chargers were unable to make best of the opportunities to convert turnovers into points. What can we take away from this game? Well, for all of those Chargers’ haters, I guess what you can take away is that the Chargers, no matter what, can find a way to build our hopes up sky high and then somehow drop them like a can of beans. For all of those Chargers’ lovers, what you can take away from this game is the fact that you actually gave the Denver Broncos a run for their money in the AFC Divisional Playoffs. Considering where this team was six weeks ago at 5-7, nobody in their right mind would have predicted that they would win all of their last four games, make the playoffs and then beat the Bengals on the road in the rain in Paul Brown Stadium. This season has been a season filled with it’s respective ups and downs, but Chargers fans wouldn’t have had it any other way.