From Worst to First

The Chargers were 4-8 and stuck in last place, with their playoff hopes hanging by a thread. The Chargers amazingly won 3 in a row, while the Broncos lost 3 in a row. The Chargers forced a Week 17 game for the AFC West title. The Broncos held onto 1st place for 16 weeks, never in 2nd place once this season. San Diego appeared to have no chance after Week 12 to make the playoffs, but they have battled back to set up this AFC West rivalry game.

The Chargers entered the game with all the momentum. The Chargers showed why they deserve a playoff spot, blowing out Denver 52-21. The Chargers got 3 TD's from LaDanian Tomlinson, while Darren Sproles rushed for 115 and 1 TD. In addition, FB Jacob Hester scored a TD in the final minutes. San Diego totaled 2839 rushing yards, compared to Denver's 90 yards. Philip Rivers threw for over 200 yards and 2 TD passes to Brandon Manummaleuna and Darren Sproles. At 8-8, the Chargers became the first division champ with a non-winning record since the 1985 Browns. San Diego is also the first team in NFL history to make the playoffs after starting a season 4-8.

Denver suffered a heart breaking loss to San Diego. With the loss, Denver now drops to 2nd place for the first time all season. In the game, Jay Cutler threw 2 INT's and only 1 TD pass to tight end Tony Scheffler. Tatum Bell had a good game, rushing for 86 yards and finding the endzone twice. Eddie Royal caught 11 passes, while star receiver Brandon Marshall only had 55 yards. With the loss, the Broncos became the third team in NFL history to have a three-game division lead at one point and then fail to make the postseason, joining the 2003 Vikings and 1978 Packers for the honor.