The San Diego Chargers got their 13th win of the season Sunday and Washington head coach Jim Zorn got a pink slip. So much for another day in the NFL. Backup QB Billy Volek directed the Chargers on a game-winning drive in the final minutes, as San Diego ended regular season play with a 23-20 win over the visiting Redskins. San Diego has a bye in the first round of the AFC playoffs and will next be in action the weekend of Jan. 16-17. After losing three of their first five games, the Chargers went on an incredible 11-game winning streak to secure the second spot in the AFC playoffs behind Indianapolis. Down 20-16 late in the game, Volek hit Buster Davis for an 11-yard pass that got the Chargers inches short of the goal line, before hitting fullback Mike Tolbert on the game-winning score. While a number of starters did see action Sunday, like Philip Rivers (9-of-15, 99 yards), LaDainian Tomlinson and Nate Kaeding, the inactive list was pretty lengthy and included the likes of Shawne Merriman, Vincent Jackson, Eric Weddle and Jacques Cesaire. The Chargers bolted to a 10-0 lead after their first two possessions and Rivers hit the bench for Volek, who hadn’t seen significant playing time since leading the winning drive in a 28-24 divisional-round playoff victory at Indianapolis two years ago. “It felt good to get hit again,” Volek stated. “For my group to go out there and perform at a high level and go against some good guys, it was good. Nobody panicked.” San Diego, which never panicked after the season got off to a rough start, jumped ahead on Kaeding’s 47-yard field goal and Rivers’ 12-yard scoring strike to Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates. While the game had no consequences in the standings, it was icing on the cake for what many fans knew ahead of time. On Monday morning, the Redskins announced that Zorn was being let go, as the team stumbled to a 4-12 record. Zorn compiled a 12-20 record over two seasons, but he dropped 18 of his last 24 games following a 6-2 start in 2008. The Redskins faltered early despite a weak schedule this season and finished with their worst record since 1994. “The status quo is not acceptable,” general manager Bruce Allen said in a statement released by the team. “I felt it was necessary to not waste a moment of time to begin building this team into a winner.” For San Diego, however, a new season is just dawning as the surging Chargers look for a playoff run to Miami and the Super Bowl on Feb. 7. FIFTH QUARTER: The announced crowd was just over 67,000, although it sure seemed like there were a lot more empty seats to be found. Lots of Washington fans in attendance, but the results proved all too familiar for those wearing maroon and gold. The AFC playoffs are set for this coming weekend with New England hosting Baltimore and Cincinnati playing host to the Jets. Pittsburgh, the defending Super Bowl champ, was left on the sidelines for this year’s playoffs.