Qualcomm Stadium is the scene for a great game this Sunday afternoon. A game that will pit a young Jay Cutler with a team ranked 26th in passing in the league against a Shawne Merriman loaded Charger Defense ranked 6th against the rush and 13th against passing offenses. The Broncos came away with a heart break loss to the Seattle Seahawks on a last second Josh Brown 50 yard field goal that split the uprights right above the crossbar.
Now they have to hit the road and go visit a tough crowd and LaDainian Tomlinson, who is looking to put the San Diego Chargers into the playoffs. He will also be trying to set the single season record for touchdowns, by passing 28, as the Chargers host the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
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San Diego's vibrant running back has led his streaking team to the verge of a postseason berth. The 10-2 Chargers have won six in a row and can secure at least a wild card spot with a win Sunday. They could also be AFC West champions by the end of the day if they win and Kansas City loses or ties. San Diego could even secure the division with a tie and a Chiefs loss. Tomlinson helped the Chargers pull closer to just their second trip to the playoffs in 11 seasons by rushing for 178 yards and two touchdowns in last week's 24-21 victory over Buffalo. Philip Rivers completed 17 of 29 for 160 yards and a touchdown. Linebacker Shawne Merriman returned from a four game steroid suspension and finished with six tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles. He is now at 10 1/2 sacks on the season. The Chargers have pulled into a tie with Indianapolis for the best record in the AFC. San Diego is averaging a league leading 31.4 points per game and 34.8 during its last six games. That's due in large part to Tomlinson, who leads the NFL with 1,324 rushing yards and 1,794 yards from scrimmage. If Tomlinson performs like he did in the last meeting between these teams, Coach Schottenheimer will have another stellar performance to watch. Tomlinson scored four touchdowns and rushed for 105 yards, and caught three passes for 74 yards, as San Diego rallied to defeat Denver 35-27 on Nov. 19 after trailing 24-7. That loss started 7-5 Denver on its current three game skid. The Broncos were tied for the AFC West lead going into that game but are now in a five way tie for the two AFC wild-card spots.
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Sunday will mark the first road start for Denver rookie quarterback Jay Cutler, who made his debut in place of the struggling Jake Plummer in last week's 23-20 loss to Seattle.
The 11th overall pick in the draft, Cutler completed 10 of 21 for 143 yards and two touchdowns, including a 71 yard pass to Brandon Marshall that tied it at 20 with 2:37 remaining in the game. Cutler, though, threw a pair of costly interceptions though, including one that was returned by the Seahawks' Darryl Tapp for a second quarter touchdown. The other interception was converted into a field goal. Cutler didn't seem overly discouraged by the loss or his performance. Tatum Bell returned after missing three of the last four games with a toe injury and rushed for 133 yards on 23 carries. He gave the Broncos their first 100 yard rusher since Mike Bell ran for 136 in a 34-31 loss to Indianapolis on Oct. 29. In spite of this, the Broncos matched a season high five turnovers last week which hurt them in the end. Denver linebacker Al Wilson sprained his neck against Seattle and had to be carted off. His status for Sunday is uncertain. The Broncos will be looking to avoid being swept by the Chargers for the first time since 1982, have won two of the last three meetings at San Diego.
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I have a love-hate relationship with the Chargers. Twice now they have not covered and I don't expect them to in this game either. Broncos +7½ and way over 41 is my pick. Both teams can score, especially the Chargers who tend to like to play catch up.
