san diego So long, Broncos. The AFC’s mild, mild West belongs to LaDainian Tomlinson, Philip Rivers and the rest of the San Diego Chargers.
The Chargers won the NFL’s weakest division with an 8-8 record Sunday night, becoming the first team to go from 4-8 to the playoffs by routing the Broncos 52-21 in what was not-so-jokingly referred to as the Ed Hoch uli Bowl.
Tomlinson, who didn’t return after straining an abdominal muscle in the third quarter, had his first three-touchdown game of the season. Rivers threw his 33rd and 34th touchdown passes to break Hall of Famer Dan Fouts’ 1981 team single-season record.
Denver (8-8) completed a monumental collapse, blowing a three-game lead with three weeks to go. Needing just one win to wrap up the division, the Broncos lost at Carolina, at home to Buffalo and then to the Chargers.
Denver beat San Diego on Sept. 14 when referee Ed Hochuli whistled an apparent fumble by Jay Cutler as an incomplete pass. Hochuli later acknowledged his decision was wrong. However, by rule, the call could not be changed and Denver kept the ball. The Broncos scored on fourth down, followed by the winning two-point conversion.
