Chargers find themselves in a familiar place
Welcome to Same Diego.
It never seems to change. Each season the San Diego Chargers dig a hole for themselves, and each season they claw their way out, winning enough games to clinch the AFC West and reach the NFL postseason.
Well, it could be happening again, as the Chargers head into Monday night’s home game against Denver having won two in a row as the Broncos have slid backward, losing four of five.
The division is vastly improved, however, as both Kansas City and Oakland have taken big steps forward.
“Everyone wants to talk about the race and the position that everyone’s in,” said Chargers Coach Norv Turner, whose team is 0-2 in division games. “I really think we came to the conclusion that the best thing to do is go win a game at a time and not get caught up in the race.”
This game pits the league’s two leading passers: San Diego’s Philip Rivers and Denver’s Kyle Orton, in that order.
“You have a Denver team that I would imagine feels like we did a week or two ago: ‘Hey, we get on a little bit of a roll, we’re right in there,’ ” Rivers said. “We’re a win away from first place and a loss away from last place. Everybody’s in it and there’s still a long way to go.”
With the Chargers coming off their bye, Rivers could have some of his key weapons back. Receivers Legedu Naanee and Malcom Floyd are both expected to return from hamstring injuries, and Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates is expected to come back from a plantar fascia injury in his right foot.
“I’m going to do all I can do to get out there against Denver,” Gates said. “Whether I can do it or not, I’m always trying to play. But it’s painful.”
Orton, who easily is on pace for the best passing season of his career, threw for four touchdowns in a victory over Kansas City in Week 10. Among his targets is Brandon Lloyd, who entered Week 11 with a league-high 968 yards receiving and an NFL-best 15 catches for 25 yards or more.
The Chargers have won seven consecutive November games. Playing a role in many of those was Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jamal Williams, who now plays in Denver after 12 years in San Diego.
“It’ll be fun to see family and friends out there,” Williams said. “But when it all comes down to it, it’s all about football.”
twitter.com/latimesfarmer
