Broncos vs. Chargers: Score and Twitter Reaction as Denver Clinches AFC West

Coming into Sunday, both the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers were squarely in the AFC playoff picture. But only one remained in the the top six spots after Denver earned a crucial 22-10 victory over San Diego to clinch the AFC West division.    

The Broncos have now secured their fourth straight AFC West division title, with three coming under quarterback Peyton Manning. Denver's official account provided a look at the final score in the significant victory for the Broncos from Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego:

It's not very often that a place-kicker is the main offensive weapon for a team, but Connor Barth was exactly that for Denver. In his third game with the Broncos, Barth remained perfect on field-goal attempts for the season, going 5-of-5 on Sunday.

Three of Barth's field goals came in the first half, as the Broncos opened up a 9-0 lead. The Chargers responded with a field goal of their own but still trailed 9-3 going in to the half.

Week 15 marked the second time that Barth has tallied five field goals for the Broncos in that short span. Andrew Mason of DenverBroncos.com pointed out how well he has played since joining the roster:

Coming off a game in which he had no touchdown passes against the Buffalo Bills, Manning looked slightly better against the Chargers. The reigning NFL MVP finished 14-of-20 with 233 yards and a touchdown.

Despite the struggles for Manning recently, the Chargers defense came in fully prepared to face one of the best quarterbacks in the league. San Diego cornerback Brandon Flowers addressed questions about Manning's recent play, via Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com:

"

I don’t buy into any of that at all. This is the thing -- Peyton doesn’t care about stats. It sounds crazy, because he’s broke every record. But teams have been loading against the pass and playing two-high safeties with a light box. So it makes sense to run the ball and get 5 yards, 6 yards a pop. …

…So whatever defense you throw at him, he knows how to counterpunch it.

"

But Manning's numbers weren't the story Sunday, as he suffered a thigh injury, per the team's official account. Manning returned in the second half but had other concerns heading into the game that required an IV, via Tracy Wolfson of CBSSports.com.

Still, his day was another memorable one, as his 233 passing yards helped him go over 4,000 yards again in a single season. The NFL's official Twitter account noted the accomplishment:

Along with Manning's solid play, Demaryius Thomas also made a huge impact on Sunday afternoon. Tallying 123 receiving yards and one touchdown, the wideout was deadly once again. Meanwhile, running back C.J. Anderson had another strong day with 96 yards from scrimmage.

Thomas' lone touchdown grab came late in the third quarter on a 28-yard pass from Manning. That score made it a 16-3 game, and the Chargers didn't have enough to muster a comeback.

Thomas' performance gave him his eighth 100-yard receiving game on the season. Fox Sports' Ross Jones and ESPN Stats & Info passed along how significant the performance was for Thomas:

Opposite Manning was Philip Rivers. The 33-year-old quarterback finished with 232 passing yards, one touchdown and two crucial interceptions in the fourth quarter that sealed the win for Denver.

After a disheartening loss to the New England Patriots last week, Rivers spoke about what he expected from the team in Week 15, via the Chargers' official account:

Rivers might not have been able to respond with a victory but still made a bit of his own history. His fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Antonio Gates made it a 16-10 game and marked the 70th touchdown between the tandem.

The Chargers' official account noted why that pass was so important:

"

That’s 70 TDs between dynamic duo Philip Rivers and @AntonioGates85. #NFLrecord #DENvsSD pic.twitter.com/0r3XDTua79

— San Diego Chargers (@Chargers) December 14, 2014"

Barth kicked two more field goals in the final moments of the fourth quarter to put the Broncos up 22-10 and seal the victory.

With the win, Denver moves one step closer toward a potential bye in the playoffs. The Patriots are still ahead due to the head-to-head win, but the Broncos remain in the hunt. They face the Cincinnati Bengals and Oakland Raiders to close out the season.

Meanwhile, the Chargers fall down the playoff standings but still have a chance for a wild-card spot. At 8-6, they are behind the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens (both 9-5) and are tied with a slew of other playoff hopefuls in the AFC.

Going against the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs to close out the year, the playoffs are still a possibility for the Chargers, although it won't be easy. If the offense continues to struggle down the stretch, San Diego might be watching from home when the playoffs start.

Follow @RCorySmith on Twitter.