San Diego – The sky was crystalline Sunday afternoon, but the Broncos were struck by lightning.
Not once or twice, but over and over – like Ben Franklin’s key – until it was mercifully over.
San Diego zapped Denver 48-20. Scorched horses.
Deal with it, Denver. San Diego is better. Better beaches. Better zoo. Better weather. Better sailing. Better La Jolla. Better LaDainian. Better tight end. Better quarterback. Better outside linebacker. Better Igor. Better quesadillas.
San Diego has a better team than Denver. Way better team. Mo’ better.
And better than that, San Diego has the best team in the NFL. Better than Indianapolis and Chicago.
The last time the Chargers had so many points against the Broncos was in 1968 when the scores were 55-24 and 47-23. Must have been an off year for the Broncos.
As this season is rapidly becoming. San Diego scored 83 points in the two games. Don’t want another rematch, Apollo. At this rate, San Diego would score 61 next.
The Chargers clinched the division Sunday. The Broncos clenched their teeth.
For a while out there in the third quarter, quarterback Jay Cutler seemed to be settling in, and the Broncos seemed to be making a comeback, at 28-20.
Wishful thinking.
LaDainian Tomlinson became the most prolific-scoring running back in a single season, and Philip Rivers pitched a near-perfect game (136.0 passer rating), and Shawne Merriman, back from a four-game (forced) vacation, caused two Cutler fumbles, and Lorenzo Neal got a touchdown on a semi-fumblerooski.
(The Broncos were the stupidrooskis on the trick play that took about four minutes to develop right in front of them.)
Then there’s that other guy. Gates is the name.
You can take Bill Gates, the richest nerd the in world and the co-founder of Microsoft. On my side I want Antonio Gates of the Chargers, the greatest tight end-power forward in the NFL. There is nothing micro or soft about him.
Gates was pearly, catching two touchdown passes that he just snatched away from the Broncos because he’s taller and bigger and wanted the ball more. He also grabbed a critical third-down pass when the Broncos were trying to make a game of it and ended up with 1 yard more than Tomlinson.
Tomlinson had three touchdowns in this game to go with the four in Denver. Some running backs don’t have seven TDs in a lifetime. The Broncos clamped Tomlinson for three quarters (72 yards), but he finished with 103.
Sometimes you have to admit the other team is a whole lot better, and move on. Where the 7-6 Broncos are moving on to still is to be determined. Jacksonville and Cincinnati have won eight, and seven more teams have six or seven victories. A month ago the Broncos were considered one of the elite teams in football. Now, 15 teams have records more impressive or equal.
At least nobody’s going to want to see the Broncos on TV at night anymore.
You and I can blame Mike Shanahan’s coaching. He made some rather unusual calls on third-and-short and fourth-and-a-few. He chose field goals twice when touchdowns were required against super-charged San Diego. Pardon my stupidity, but I don’t understand a deep pass to Brandon Marshall on third-and-2 early in the fourth quarter, then a weak effort to Javon Walker on fourth down.
You and I can blame Cutler, who fumbled the ball twice and dropped the snap on another play and still made several poor passes (including one that somehow produced TD instead of INT). He wasn’t picked off and did throw two more touchdowns (to Tony Scheffler, Cutler’s roommate and Antonio Gates’ mimic).
You and I can blame a defense that applied virtually no pressure on Philip Rivers, couldn’t tackle Tomlinson, couldn’t defend Gates and couldn’t overcome the absence of the injured safeties.
You and I can blame a season gone bad and an offensive line gone lame and a defensive line gone south and a secondary gone nickel and dime.
You and I can’t blame Jake Plummer.
You and I can blame the wind and the sun and Somerset Maugham.
But San Diego is better. Better than ever.
Woody Paige can be reached at 303-954-1095 or wpaige@denverpost.com.
