A Fitting End for the AFC West

Go back to September 14th, the San Diego Chargers go to the Denver Broncos.  We would all witness an entertaining game, Denver would jump out to a 31 to 17 lead at the end of the first half with the game seeming to be well under control. 

In the second half, the game atmosphere would change, the Chargers pull out 10 third quarter points and eventually take a seven point lead with less than five minutes remaining in the game.  Denver would drive down the field and make a fatal mistake, Jay Cutler would fumble the ball, it would be picked up by San Diego ending the game. 

However, that's not what happened.  Mistakes would be made, mainly by NFL referee Ed Hochuli, that would give the ball back to Denver.  Apologies would be delivered after the fact, but it doesn't change the win/loss record. 

For some fans, that's been the story of the year.  But really, it isn't.  The story of the year should be how two teams who had all the ingredients to succeed showed that no matter how much talent you have, it takes more to win in the NFL.

For Denver, you have a quarterback who's had the best season of his career, a team who had way more injuries than most NFL teams, and losses where in previous seasons, they would have been blow outs. 

For San Diego, injuries to start the season set them back, top that off with the same characteristics the Chargers had when Marty was coaching, what has become a characteristic of San Diego since the turn of the century, a close game means a loss.  A stigma people had thought was lost over the past two seasons.

For both teams, can any player or fan say they are happy with the performance this year?  Denver sitting at 8-7 has lost to the Raiders at home, and the Chiefs.  San Diego has suffered five losses by less than a touchdown, many of which were last minute come backs.  Needless to say, I don't think either side has fans cheering about the teams performance this year. 

Saying they underachieved would be quite the understatement.  The AFC west has been known as an incredibly competitive conference, in the past few years. talk of two maybe even three teams from the division going to the playoffs was not unheard of.  Yet now, you have pathetic displays by Oakland and Kansas City and two teams who have more talent than their record displays in Denver and San Diego. 

It seemed in past years, these two teams could almost be called allies, if nothing else, they both had a mutal enemy.  Denver coach Mike Shanahan holds a long grudge, the Chargers still sufferring from "those" fans infesting their stadium once a year, an enemy of my enemy is my ally, and both teams shared the same hatred for the Raiders.  Yet over the past years, these rivalries have adjusted. 

The Raiders have fallen into mediocrity, the Chargers are no longer the whipping boy in the AFC West, and Denver remains competitive.  In 2007, this rivalry would really gain heat as quarterback Philip Rivers would be seen taunting Denver quarterback Jay Cutler on the sidelines. 

So now you have it, the Final game of the 2008 season, Sunday night.  A bad call cost one team, pathetic performances over the last two games cost another, and now it's all on the line.  Denver at San Diego, two heated rivals in a game that matters.  One team will win, the other will watch the playoffs from the comfort of their own home.

More than bragging rights rest on this game, San Diego would like to show that they were indeed robbed, Denver would like to show that they are the better team and just performed badly for 26 minutes. 

The thing is, both teams are so confusing.  Never before have I seen two teams with so much talent sitting in such a situation.  And the bigger question, can either team actually do anything in the playoffs?  What's the point if you get there and leave a week later? 

Both teams have huge defensive problems, both teams have explosive offenses, but after Sunday, can either team pull it together and prove that the AFC West is still a division that can contend for a Super Bowl win?