A Christmas miracle came to San Diego, just a few days late. Looking like the team many had projected at the start of the season to reach the Super Bowl, the San Diego Chargers dismantled rival Denver Sunday evening at the Q, 52-21, stamping their ticket to the AFC playoffs. While winning the AFC Western Division seemed out of reach only three weeks ago, the Chargers overcame a three-game deficit to catch the Broncos, sending Denver to one of the more recent great choking episodes in NFL history. Denver had held a three-game lead with three to go, but fell in succession to Carolina, Buffalo and San Diego. San Diego (8-8), which captured its third straight AFC West crown (5-1 divisional record), scored early and often Sunday evening, ensuring a first-round home game Saturday, Jan. 3, at 5 p.m. against the Indianapolis Colts. The fourth-seeded Chargers fell to the fifth-seeded Colts earlier this season in a close 23-20 contest in San Diego. Denver (8-8), meantime, looked out of its game in the season finale, as Philip Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson, Darrel Sproles and company totaled their highest scoring output of the season. Tomlinson, who injured his groin in the third quarter, accounted for three TDs, while Rivers tossed a pair of touchdowns. Sproles (115 yards rushing), who is one of the game’s most dangerous return men on kickoffs and punts, accounted for one score in the air and a rushing TD. “It’s exciting. It’s obviously history the way we trailed the division and how we won it,” Rivers said. “We know the expectations we set out and how high they were at the start of the year. Now all we’ve done is reopen some of those goals and some of those expectations now that we’ve got ourselves into January.” After Denver grabbed a 6-3 lead, San Diego outscored the Broncos 28-7 to take a commanding 31-13 lead midway through the third quarter. While the offense was clicking on all cylinders, San Diego’s defense also made for a miserable night for Denver QB Jay Cutler. Luis Castillo provided a big blow in the third quarter as he intercepted Cutler and returned the ball deep into Broncos territory, setting up an LT touchdown run that made it 38-13. Paul Oliver also picked off a Cutler pass to thwart another drive. Denver scored to pull within 38-21, but San Diego iced the game with a pair of touchdowns to end the regular season and bring what seemed like an improbable finish to town only three weeks ago. Indianapolis, meantime, finished with a better record (12-4) than San Diego, but will travel west as a wild card entrant.
